Hate
by Kymanlvr
Summary: There are people in this world that would, upon first glance, have looked at them and called them enemies. A story about Kyle and Cartman, and how a series of events bring them closer together. Kyman.
1. Introduction

Author's Note: Hello everyone! This is a story that I have been randomly working on. I hope you like it. Please review. Of course, I don't own any of these South Park characters. This, of course, is the shortest chapter, since it's not officially a chapter, but an introduction. Actual chapters will be longer.

**Hate**

There are people in this world that would, upon first glance, have looked at them and called them enemies. The constant fighting, physical abuse, and deception would certainly clue them in. However, those who lived in South Park, Colorado understood their relationship was a complex one. Some would even call their relationship one of friendship, however unusual it may be. Their close friends watched the pair grow from bitter enemies to something a bit… different. Of course, if you talked to either of the boys in question, both would deny any semblance of friendship at all; in fact, they would describe their feelings toward the other as "hate."


	2. Chapter 1

Hate – Chapter 1

Kyle Broflovski's alarm screamed shrilly for almost a full minute before the boy had the will to shut it off. It took another minute for the boy to sit up, yawning and stretching slowly as he kept his eyes closed. He sat, unmoving, for about thirty seconds before slowly opening his eyes. He blinked slowly for a couple of moments before yawning again and sliding out of the warmth of his bed.

He knew he would regret staying up so late the night prior, IMing with Stan and Cartman. It had become a bad habit of late. He would see his friends at school, but he still felt that he didn't get to see them enough. Of course, he could care less about Cartman, but Stan and Kenny were important to him. Kyle had recently amped up his studying, since high school was half over, and college applications were just beyond the horizon. Stan was into after-school sports and Wendy, and Kenny was busy trying to get laid every five seconds. It was a rare moment for the gang to hang out like old times. For this reason, they found themselves IMing each other late at night, Kenny ditching out early due to varying circumstances. Stan would usually leave the chat next, which would result in Kyle and Cartman also signing off.

Kyle rubbed his eyes as he wandered towards the shower, promising himself that he wouldn't stay up as late tonight.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle sighed, resting his cheek in his hand as he stared blankly at his teacher. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered to come to this class at all. The teacher hardly knew what she was teaching, a fact that had not slipped by unnoticed by his classmates. Therefore, not a single student listened to the young woman as she prattled on about whatever the hell she was trying to teach. Kyle found it a huge waste of his time. He glanced lazily around at his classmates. The boys were either goofing off with each other or staring at Ms. Miner's chest. The girls were gossiping and giggling quietly in small huddles. Kyle's mind began to wander as he glanced at Stan, who was sitting towards the front.

He loved Stan to death. It was not a lover's love, but a deep, intimate bond that only the best of friends could hope to share. Certainly, it had occurred to Kyle that his friend Stan was very attractive, but he could never envision their bond to cross the romantic line. But the friendship that they had was being threatened as of late. Kyle regretted the studying he was constantly doing, but whenever he tried to find time for Stan, the other boy usually had his own obligations. Stan was constantly doing something extracurricular after school, and when he wasn't, he was usually seen spending time with his girlfriend, Wendy. Kyle felt happy for Stan, but couldn't shake the fear that their friendship was on the decline. Kyle had been feeling rather lonely as of late, due to a lack of his Stan time.

As if that wasn't enough, he was also finding it more and more difficult to hang out with Kenny as well. Kenny was always obsessed with sex, even when they were little. However, this school year Kenny was out prowling the school halls during the day and the streets at night, looking for any lonely girl looking for a bit of company. The boy had stripped himself of his favorite orange parka he had always worn, and the girls were all charmed by his angelic face and startling blue eyes. Granted, Kenny could usually find more time for Kyle than Stan could, but Kyle felt that Kenny had higher priorities than nurturing his friendship with Kyle.

And then there was …

"Take a picture, Jew."

… the Fatass.

"Shut up, Cartman!" Kyle hissed, tearing his gaze away from Stan. He hadn't realized that he had been staring blankly at his friend while he was lost in his thoughts, and a faint blush of embarrassment graced his cheeks. He glared briefly over at Cartman, who was in the seat to the right of Kyle. He was leaning towards Kyle, keeping his voice low to avoid detection, and had a smirk playing on his lips. Kyle tore his gaze away and glared at the head of the student sitting directly in front of him. Cartman chuckled quietly and relaxed back into his seat.

Kyle would rather die than hang out with Cartman. The two boys never hung out alone after that incident in middle school, where Cartman locked Kyle up in his basement for almost three whole days before someone had discovered him.

Kyle hated Cartman with a passion, but had to admit to himself that lately Cartman hadn't really done anything that bad. There were the moments before and after class that they may share some heated words, but otherwise Kyle hardly ever saw him. Cartman had stopped pulling pranks on Kyle, but whenever they did see each other, bickering would always ensue. In fact, their insults had become almost automatic; the anger that used to reside behind their words was diminishing as the years passed. Kyle felt almost relieved when they began to bicker. He also secretly enjoyed it when Cartman would join the boys at lunch. It was a sign that perhaps things weren't really changing that much at all, and that maybe he wouldn't lose Stan and Kenny like he feared.

"Now class, I want you all to pay close attention…"

Kyle promised himself that he would get them all to hang out sometime soon, just like old times. He figured he'd ask them on IM that night, since he wasn't sure if Stan would be sitting with them at lunch or not; he was giving Wendy a look that Kyle suspected meant that he'd be preoccupied.


	3. Chapter 2

Hate – Chapter 2

Kyle happily turned on his laptop, bringing it with him to his bed. He propped up his pillows and lay against them, sitting his computer on his lap. He quickly logged into messenger, and frowned slightly in disappointment. Fatass was the only one online at the moment.

He had told them to meet him online around ten, and it was ten to. Of course, Cartman hadn't been officially invited, but the brown-haired boy always found a way to invite himself. Stan and Kenny never objected, and Kyle would only do so sometimes, when he was feeling particularly combative. Tonight wasn't one of those nights.

Cartman was the first to initiate contact.

_Cartman: What's up, Jew? Your mom know you aren't studying?_

_Kyle: Shut up, Fatass._

_Cartman: Suck my balls, Jew._

Kyle's eyes flashed slightly, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. His fingers twitched slightly, hovering over the keyboard.

_Kyle: Sorry, dude, but I'm not gay like you._

_Cartman: Oh, please. You're the gayest of us all._

_Kyle: No. I'm not._

_Cartman: Yes. You are…. You're totally hot for Stan._

_Kyle: We've gone over this before, Fatass. I'm not in love with Stan._

Kyle could feel his anger rising. He was definitely not in love with Stan.

_Cartman: Oh please, Jew, you are totally hot for Stan. I saw the way you were staring at him today._

_Kyle: I was lost in thought, dumbass._

_Cartman: Oooh, Kahl. I saw the look on your face. You were practically drooling._

Kyle frowned, and his anger paused its slow, predictable rise to ponder this statement.

_Kyle: I wasn't drooling. Besides, why the hell were YOU staring at ME?_

Before Cartman could retort, Kenny signed on. Kyle smirked, quickly greeting Kenny in hopes of cutting Cartman's response off.

_Kyle: Hey Kenny!_

_Kenny: Hey dudes._

_Cartman: I hate you, Kahl._

Kyle sighed, closing his eyes briefly. Not only did Cartman mispronounce his name on a regular basis, but he had just recently started TYPING Kyle's name that way as well. He decided to let it drop. In fact, he never really complained about how Cartman pronounced his name. It didn't bother him as much as the other things Cartman did.

_Kyle: What took you so long?_

_Kenny: I was on a date._

_Kyle: With Bebe?_

_Kenny: No…. some girl I met yesterday._

_Kyle: Jeez, Kenny…. How many girls have you gone out with this week??_

_Kenny: Only two! That's not how many I slept with, though…._

_Kyle: Kenny! Shit man…. Is that all you ever do anymore?_

_Cartman: Oh, please, Kahl. Get the sand out of your vagina._

_Kenny: Whatever. At least I'm getting laid._

_Kyle: There isn't sand in my vagina, Fatass._

Kyle barely noticed that Stan had just signed on.

_Kenny: Stan can attest to how nice getting laid is._

_Stan: … what?_

_Kenny: You and I are the only ones who have slept with anyone._

_Cartman: Hey! Shut up, poor boy!_

_Kyle: Whatever… we should all hang out this next weekend or something. Like old times._

_Kenny: That would be cool. When?_

_Stan: Well, isn't Token's party this weekend?_

_Kyle: Oh, I forgot… well, that's Friday night… we could hang Saturday, or maybe do a sleepover that night?_

_Cartman: Sleepovers are for fags._

_Stan: I'm busy through the afternoon, but that could work._

_Kyle: Shut up, Cartman!_

_Kenny: I'm free. I have no plans yet for the weekend, except to totally get wasted Fri night!_

_Kyle: Cool! Whose house?_

_Stan: We could do it at my house if you want…_

_Cartman: No way, dude. My house is the best. I have more games than all of you put together._

_Kyle: I thought sleepovers were for fags._

_Cartman: Whatever, Jew. I'll just have to be careful and make sure you don't try anything._

_Kyle: Ew. Like I would._

_Stan: Kyle, you going to Token's party?_

_Kyle: I don't know… I haven't decided yet._

_Cartman: Pussy._

_Stan: I'm going to go, with Wendy… You should totally come._

_Kyle: Shut up Fatass!_

_Kenny: Yeah, Kyle… you don't get out much. Come with us! Maybe I could get you laid!_

_Kyle: … I don't know… Besides, Kenny, I don't want to just have sex with a random girl. Plus, my mom would flip if I came home late…_

_Stan: Dude, tell her you're crashing at my house or something. _

_Kyle: Ha, but would I be crashing there? I know what happens when you and Wendy drink together._

_Stan: Well, maybe you could stay with Kenny…?_

_Kyle: Same problem, dude._

_Kenny: lol_

_Stan: Well, I'm sure that Token will have a bunch of people just crashing at his place. We can ask him tomorrow._

Kyle paused. He didn't feel at all comfortable with the situation. He wasn't really into drinking, or partying, and if his mom somehow found out, he'd be dead. However, it wasn't as if he did this often, and at least his friends would be there.

_Kyle: Ok, I guess._

_Kenny: YES. I am totally making you drink, too. I'm gonna get you SO wasted._

_Kyle: Uh, I'll drink, but I'm not planning on puking my guts out, either._

_Cartman: Kahl, you are SUCH a pussy. _

_Kenny: And a lightweight._

_Kyle: I'm not a pussy, Cartman… but I am a lightweight._

_Stan: This is going to be an awesome weekend!_

_Kyle: Yeah!_

_Kenny: Alcohol, girls… hanging with my pals like the good 'ol days…_

_Stan: lol…_

_Cartman: I think you're all fags._

_Kenny: If we are, then you are too. You're the one hosting our sleepover. :P_

_Cartman: Whatever._

_Kenny: Well, I have to go. My dad wants to use the computer._

_Kyle: That sucks. We'll see you tomorrow!_

_Kenny: Bye!_

_Stan: I think I'm going to go, too. I told Wendy I'd call her, but I forgot to earlier._

_Cartman: How could you forget? That bitch can't live without you for five minutes._

_Stan: She's not a bitch, Cartman! See you tomorrow, Kyle._

_Kyle: Bye Stan!_

Kyle watched as Kenny and Stan signed off. He paused, waiting for Cartman to sign off, but he didn't. Kyle bit his lip, thinking for a moment.

_Kyle: Are you going to Token's party Friday?_

_Cartman: What's it to you, Jew? _

_Kyle: I was just asking!_

_Cartman: Yeah, I'll probably go. Token always has tons of alcohol at his parties and my mom doesn't care._

_Kyle: You're mom doesn't care?_

_Cartman: Nah. She'll buy alcohol for me anytime I ask._

_Kyle: You are such a momma's boy._

_Cartman: Whatever. I still get what I want._

_Kyle: Whatever. See you tomorrow Fatass._

_Cartman: Later, Jew._

Kyle rolled his eyes and logged off. A smile tugging on his lips, he quickly shut down his computer and turned to go to bed.


	4. Chapter 3

Hate – Chapter 3

Kyle knocked on the door, but realized quickly that no one was going to answer. He sighed, pausing a moment to rethink his plans for the night. He had agreed to go to Token's party, with the expectation that he would be able to eventually crash somewhere for the night. However, Kyle liked to have things planned, so the idea of him not knowing where he would end up that night made him a bit nervous. He bit his lip, closing his eyes briefly. No. He agreed that he would go, and he had promised himself earlier that day that he would try to have fun. He would try to let loose for once in his life. Without a second thought, he turned the handle and went on inside.

He followed the sound of the loud music. Token's house was huge, so there were people mingling about all over. However, Kyle wanted to find his friends, and he figured that they would be where most of the others were gathered. He wandered down the hallway until finding a large amount of people in what might be some sort of living room. The music was blasting away, and people were shouting over it to be heard. Kyle scanned the room, and quickly found his friends. He made his way over, weaving through the various people in the crowd. Kenny and Stan were doing a shot of something together, while Wendy cheered Stan on. Kenny put his shot glass down first, and raised his arms in victory.

"HA! I win!"

Stan put his glass down, frowning slightly at loosing.

"Hey dudes."

They looked up. Kenny's face lit up in a wide grin.

"KYLE! Sit, SIT! We are getting you SO wasted tonight!"

Before Kyle could say another word, he was dragged into the seat next to Kenny.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle was feeling pretty good. It didn't take much alcohol for him to start feeling it, and by now he was REALLY feeling it. The world felt all warm and welcoming, and everything was funny. In fact, things FELT funny. He reveled at how his face felt numb, and was explaining this amazing fact to Stan one more time before Cartman joined them.

"Hey pussies. Looks like you got the tight ass to drink." He plopped down next to Stan, sitting across from Kyle.

Kyle laughed. "Shut up, Fatass… I'm not a tight ass." He continued to chuckle. Cartman raised his eyebrow.

Kenny decided to chip in. "He's not a tight ass, but BOY does he HAVE a tight ass!"

Kyle giggled at that. Cartman frowned.

"How much did he have?"

Kyle continued to laugh. Kenny grinned at Cartman, not answering. Stan's attention was quickly stolen by Wendy, and therefore didn't contribute at all to the conversation. Kenny quickly poured Cartman, Kyle, and himself a shot of tequila each.

"To Kyle losing his drunk-virginity or something!" exclaimed Kenny, holding up his shot glass in a toast.

"Yay!" added Kyle before they all downed their shots.

After he put his shot glass down, Kyle leaned across the table. "Cartman! Cartman! Guess what, Fatass! I can't feel my face!" He grinned, breaking down into a bout of laughter

Cartman smirked a bit, putting his cheek in his hand. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah! It's so cool!" Kyle proceeded to poke his own cheeks.

Cartman chuckled. "Shit, I need to drink some more…."

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle's mind was a bit of a blur. Kenny was trying to explain to Kyle that he had indeed written all over Kenny's chest with a sharpie just moments before, but Kyle was denying it ever happened. Kenny showed him the evidence, and Kyle burst into a fit of laughter. Maybe someone handed him a drink at that point, but he couldn't remember.

Then suddenly he was proclaiming that he really loved the song that came on, and dragged Kenny to go dance with him. He then saw Cartman and grabbed his arm too, pulling them both behind him. He remembered dancing, and then suddenly he was grinding with Kenny, and it felt so good. He felt sexy and confident, warm and tingly. Before he realized, he was sandwiched between both Kenny and Cartman, cologne mixing with cologne, and Kyle briefly thought how he really liked whatever Cartman was wearing. He could only recall snippets of what he said to the two, but he definitely remembered grinding against Kenny's crotch and thrusting back against Cartman's. Hands were everywhere, and he felt on top of the world.

Then he was back at the table, doing another shot, and then there was nothing for a while.

He found himself blinking at Cartman on the couch as Cartman rambled on about how much he hated Wendy. He pointed over Kyle's shoulder, and he looked. It was hard to see – everything was so blurry. He finally was able to make out Stan and Wendy in the corner, hands in places he didn't need to see. He quickly whipped around, and blinked as the world spun.

"Dude, they are so sick whenever they drink. Pretty soon they'll go find a room. Hopefully soon, so I don't have to watch that."

Kyle giggled. "Yeaaah… it just gets worse when they drink. It's always really awkward when I'm hanging with Stan, and then she's suddenly there, and then they're like, making out… ugh… so gross. I don't wanna watch that…"

"You don't get jealous that your boyfriend is making out with a slut?"

Kyle weakly hit Cartman's arm. "Shut up, he's not my boyfriend… I don't like him like that."

"Whatever. You're so gay, dude."

"Who cares if I was? Even… even if I was, it doesn't mean I like Stan like that… He's, like, my best friend… ew."

Cartman laughed.

Kyle laughed too. "Dude, saying 'Stan' is fun… it's kinda awkward and weird… 'Stan…'

Time skipped again, and he could have sworn he was having a serious conversation with Cartman.

"I don't HATE you…"

"Well, you used to be such a douche bag when we were little… and you always make fun of me…"

"Yeah, but when we were little I DID hate you… I don't hate you so much now…"

"See? So much. Still consta-… consta-… constitutes hate…"

"Nuh-uh… we're kinda friends, sort of. Kinda."

"Really? We're friends?"

"Well, yeah, I guess…."

And then he was walking home with Cartman, singing a song… and then he was telling Cartman that he refused to sleep on the floor, so they'd have to share the bed… and then he was snuggling against Cartman, telling him that he loved his cologne and it turned him on… but not because it was Cartman, it was just because of the scent. He also proclaimed that he would probably be willing to jump any guy who wore that cologne. Cartman told him to stop being stupid and take off his hat. He giggled. After that, there was nothing.


	5. Chapter 4

Hate – Chapter 4

Kyle didn't dare open his eyes right away. There were many reasons for that, but the main reason was because his eyes felt really dry. Also, he didn't want to be awake yet. He was quite sure it must be early in the morning, and therefore unacceptable to be waking up. Third, he was afraid that if his recollections of the night were correct, it was Cartman that he was snuggling up to.

Finally, he dared open his eyes. He quickly closed them again. The world was too bright, and his head was pounding. He tried a couple more times, blinking rapidly. He was indeed cuddled up next to Cartman, but worse yet, he was spooning him. He slowly pulled away, and he felt his vision swim a bit. He rolled onto his back, blinking up at the ceiling. He then turned his head to glance at Cartman's alarm clock. 7:07. Shit.

He felt wide awake. He laid there for a while, debating whether he should sneak out or not. He also tried to piece together what the hell happened last night. He didn't remember most of it, and he was surprised that he didn't feel sick. He shifted, noting that he had fallen asleep with all of his clothes still on.

Cartman suddenly jerked, making Kyle jump a bit in surprise. Cartman grunted, rolling over enough to look over his shoulder, down at Kyle. He blinked a few times, grunted, and then settled back down.

"Why you awake, Jew?"

Kyle shrugged a bit. "I don't know… I can't fall back asleep."

"Go drink your water…. That might help. Stupid kike, not drinking any water… "

"My water?"

"I gave you a bottle of water last night. Not sure what you did with it, but you certainly didn't drink it."

Kyle frowned, sitting up. He glanced around the room, and sure enough he spotted the bottle on the floor next to the bed. He leaned down and grabbed it. He settled back into place and drank some water, being careful not to drink too much at once in case it would upset his stomach.

Kyle carefully peeked over at Cartman. The other boy was laying with his back to him. Kyle licked his dry lips, trying to remember what the hell happened the night prior. He wasn't quite sure he WANTED to know. What he did remember was snippets of embarrassing act after embarrassing act, and he was quite sure that he had been possibly flirting with Cartman. The thought made him feel sick.

"Uh, C-Cartman?" he started nervously. He wasn't sure he wanted to have this conversation, but he was pretty sure that he had to. "Uh… I, uh… sorry… about last night. I'm… sure I said some… weird things… although… I can't remember much…"

"You were pretty wasted."

Kyle gulped. "Yeah, yeah I was…"

Silence. Kyle grew more and more nervous at every passing second.

"So, uh… Did I… What exactly happened last night?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, what the hell happened? I don't really remember anything."

"Nothing, really. We drank a lot is all."

Kyle wanted to die. Cartman was obviously not talking about it because something DID happen. And since it was Cartman, most likely he was going to use the incredibly embarrassing things that Kyle did and said last night as either blackmail or punishment.

He got up and went to the bathroom, his mind reeling. He felt sick. The world kept spinning slightly. The thought of Cartman manipulating what happened last night made the feelings more intense. Kyle had to get out of there.

He stole some of Cartman's mouthwash and swished it in his mouth a bit, hoping that his mom wouldn't notice the smell of alcohol on him. He headed back to the bedroom to search for his hat and jacket. He found his hat right away, but had to search a bit for his jacket.

Cartman suddenly sat up. "Hey! What are you doing, Jew? Don't try and steal anything!"

"I'm not going to steal anything… and don't talk so loud. My head is pounding…" He finally found his jacket and started to put it on. Cartman raised his eyebrow.

"You going?"

"Yeah…"

Cartman watched him thoughtfully. "Kahl?"

Kyle looked over at Cartman, and for a moment, emerald eyes locked onto chocolate ones. For some reason, Kyle's heart started pounding, and it was hard to breathe. Kyle was confused, scared, and a bit flustered.

"Y-yeah?" he practically breathed.

Cartman's eyes pierced through him, and for some reason, it triggered a memory from the night before. He was dancing with Kenny and Cartman, and he had glanced back at Cartman. Their eyes locked, and Kyle was struck by the intensity of Cartman's eyes.

Cartman's voice brought him back.

"… See you tonight."

Kyle kept staring at him, and as Cartman's words sunk in, he felt his face flush with embarrassment. Shit. He had to face Cartman that night. More than likely, Cartman would tell his friends all about what happened the night before. Either that, or torture Kyle all night with the information.

Kyle nodded slightly before getting the hell out of there. He had been looking forward to the sleepover all week, but now dreaded it. It was going to be a long day.


	6. Chapter 5

Hate – Chapter 5

The day dragged on for Kyle and yet the afternoon came too quickly. He had successfully avoided his mother by sneaking into his bedroom window, and taken a long shower. The shower, however, didn't wash away his feelings of guilt, confusion, and worry, nor did it take away his hangover. Instead, it just made him so dizzy that he had practically fallen out of the shower. He mostly hid in his room the entirety of the morning, trying to dissect what the hell happened the night prior.

_What the hell was that look?_ he wondered, Cartman's eyes flashing in his head. He was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. A book was next to him, discarded after several feeble attempts at a distraction. He decided that trying to figure out that one moment by itself was pointless, so once more he attempted to piece together the events leading up to dancing.

He obviously remembered getting to the party, although the memory seemed far and distant. He got there, and started drinking with Kenny and Stan, and he remembered when Cartman got there…

Cartman. He had arrived while Kyle was feeling on top of the world. He remembered that his face was numb, and everything seemed funny. It was even funny when Kenny hit on him. He hadn't noticed that much at the time, but Cartman wasn't being mean to him at that moment. He seemed amused by Kyle's borderline state of drunk. Cartman had proceeded to drink, and Kyle would occasionally take a shot offered to him. The conversation was blurry, but he was pretty sure that they talked about the sleepover. He seemed to remember some raunchy comments from Kenny, asking if he could share a sleeping bag with Kyle. Kyle didn't really remember his response, but he was pretty sure he found it funny. He also remembered that Stan and Wendy were quite distracted.

He wasn't sure where the sharpie came from, but he thought he remembered drinking a few more shots beforehand. He tried desperately to remember how many as he frowned up at his ceiling. No matter how hard he tried, the memory wouldn't come. He also didn't remember writing on Kenny's chest, but he DID remember that Kenny and Cartman were trying to convince him that he had. Kenny lifted up his shirt to show Kyle the evidence, and Kyle had laughed, because even then, he couldn't remember doing it. Kyle could barely picture the words on Kenny's chest, but he was quite positive he had written "Kyle" and a big smiley face on him. He also vague recalled Kenny asking Kyle if that meant he belonged to him.

It was possibly Cartman who handed him a drink at that point, but he wasn't sure. But the drink was some sort of mixed drink that might have involved whiskey.

Kenny disappeared after that, he suddenly remembered. There were lots of bottles of booze on the table, and he was talking with Cartman. Well, shouting, since it was so loud in the house. He was babbling on about something, and Cartman would occasionally pipe in. If Kyle was remembering correctly, he was pretty sure that he had been complaining about his mom… and possibly homework? _Yes,_ Kyle thought suddenly, _I was bitching about how I'm always so focused on school work and how I never do things like get drunk and have a good time…_ He had been enthusiastically explaining to Cartman that he was having a great time, and planned to go out more in the future.

Cartman chimed in with, "Well, maybe the sand is finally coming out of that vagina of yours."

Kyle had giggled. "Maybe it has!" he had responded. Cartman had laughed at this.

After that, he had been dragged off by…. Bebe. It had been her. She asked Kyle if he was having fun, and Kyle had enthusiastically replied in the affirmative. They idly chatted for a couple of moments, Kyle glancing back at the table a couple of times.

"Kyle," she asked, looking down at her feet. "You know I've always had a crush on you…"

Kyle's stomach churned as he stared up at the bedroom ceiling. Oh god.

"Well," she continued in his flashback, "I was wondering if you'd give me a chance."

"Sorry, Bebe, but I'm not really into girls," was his response.

Kyle suddenly sat up. Oh shit. Did he really say that? He searched his memory, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him, but he was quite sure that was what he said. Her surprised face floated in front of him, and then suddenly Kenny was standing with them, grinning.

"Hey, what's up?" Kenny had asked.

Bebe muttered some sort of response and left. Kenny looked a bit confused and glanced at Kyle, but suddenly a song came on, and Kyle had felt an intense urge to dance.

"Come on!" he had shouted in Kenny's ear, grabbing his arm and tugging him toward the large, open space in the living room where others were dancing. Suddenly, he had remembered Cartman, and turned to look for him. Spotting him easily, he detoured slightly and grabbed Cartman's arm as well, pulling them both towards the dance floor.

The three of them were dancing apart at first. It wasn't until the second song came on that Kyle started to feel a bit bolder. He started to move closer to Kenny, who flashed a grin at him. Playfully, Kyle boldly grinded against Kenny, and was pleased when Kenny mimicked his actions. It was a joke at first, both boys laughing a bit, but as the song continued, Kyle felt a bit more serious in his actions. He enjoyed the casualness of their movements, as if nothing mattered, but was thrilled at the pleasing sensations it caused.

He felt confident and sexy at the time, but sitting on his bed in horror, Kyle was feeling anything but. However, his stomach gave a twist when he remembered Cartman placing his hands gently on his hips, moving closer behind him. His thoughts locked onto the touch. Cartman's fingers had rested casually and easily on his hips, and on his bed, Kyle felt his pants start to become a little more constricting. He fell back onto the mattress, horrified at the memory, but unable to stop himself from reliving it.

Kyle had smiled, and continued to grind against Kenny. However, since Cartman was behind him, he was also rubbing his ass back against the other boy. The whole situation had become even more arousing, and yet the redhead didn't care that Kenny must have been aware of Kyle's pleasure. Kyle could smell Cartman's cologne, and for some reason, that only heightened his arousal.

Kyle's memory of the scent caused a similar reaction, and Kyle cursed quietly to himself.

The three boys became bolder as another song began. Kenny ran his hands down Kyle's sides, and in response, Kyle thrust his hips a bit harder. He in turn placed his hands on Kenny's chest, running his fingernails lightly over it. Cartman's hands gripped Kyle's hips harder, and after a few more moments, his fingers almost hesitantly started to move over Kyle's hipbone lightly. Kyle made a soft sound in the back of his throat, shivering slightly under Cartman's touch.

He could almost feel Kenny grin. His mouth near his ear, he muttered, "Having fun?"

Kyle smirked. "You both obviously are."

His statement had been true. Kenny was slowly becoming aroused, especially after the soft sound Kyle had made. Cartman's obvious erection was pressing into Kyle's backside, and had been for some time. Cartman had frozen at his statement, but Kyle rubbed his ass back against Cartman, looking over his shoulder.

"I didn't say I wanted you to stop," he said playfully. Their eyes locked, and Kyle had finally caught up to the memory that had been plaguing him all morning.

Cartman's eyes were intense, piercing through Kyle, and Kyle's stomach had churned. The chocolate brown eyes seemed darker than normal, and Cartman was giving him a look that he had never seen before. He vaguely was reminded of childhood, when Cartman would get a determined look in his eyes. However, this look wasn't really determination…

Kyle realized what he didn't that night. It must have been arousal. Kyle's pants now definitely felt too tight, and his thigh muscles twitched slightly at the memory.

Cartman returned his hands on his hips, their eyes still locked, and resumed rubbing against Kyle's ass. Kyle felt his focus faltering, especially when Cartman's fingers moved gently over his hips. His thumbs gently stroked over his jeans, wandering back over his ass a bit. Kyle had thrust encouraging back, barely noticing Kenny's hands wandering over his arms. Cartman's fingers then trailed forward, rubbing over his hip bone and inching just short of Kyle's erection. Kyle's gaze pulled away, turning his head back toward Kenny and he thrust back encouragingly against Cartman.

Kyle wrapped his arms around Kenny's neck as they continued dancing, his knees feeling weak. The song suddenly ended, and a different one began. Kyle frowned.

"I hate this song!" he announced loudly, and Kenny winced a bit, since he had shouted directly into his ear.

"I need another drink," Cartman announced, pulling suddenly away from Kyle as if he had burned him. Kyle turned to watch him go, swaying slightly on his feet. Kenny laughed at him, holding him up.

"Maybe you should sit down," he laughed, and started to lead Kyle back to the table.

Kenny sat him down at the table, and Kyle reveled at how the world was spinning so much when he was still. There was a large jump in his memory, where he was once again taking another shot, but he couldn't remember the events leading up to that point, or after. All he could remember was some snippets of conversation he shared with Cartman on the couch, walking with Cartman back to his place, and…

_Oh god._ Kyle felt like he was going to puke. He couldn't remember anything clearly besides the dancing, but he DID remember him snuggling against Cartman in his bed and telling him how he'd jump any guy who wore his cologne.

Kyle's heart was pounding. He couldn't believe what had happened last night. Not only did he admit to the school's most famous gossiper that he wasn't interested in girls, but he had practically confessed to Cartman that he was gay as well. If the dancing hadn't told Cartman as much, his conversations certainly must have. Kenny would also have his suspicions. He hadn't even told Stan this piece of information about himself.

His stomach lurched, and as he quickly got up to run to the bathroom, he promised himself he would never drink again.

-.-.-.-.-.

Author's Note: Thank you, everyone, for all of your lovely reviews and comments up to this point. I want you all to know that I seriously appreciate it. There was a long time between this chapter and the last, mostly because I got really busy. However, I should have some more time to write now, at least for the next month. I hope you like it!


	7. Chapter 6

Hate – Chapter 6

Kyle's lips were still dry when he finally got the nerve to walk to Cartman's house, but he wasn't sure if that was from dehydration or nervousness. He felt like he was walking into a death trap. Cartman and he had certainly shared… something… last night, and he wasn't really sure what the hell it all meant. He was also pretty positive that Cartman was going to annihilate him with last night's revelations the first chance he got. And that thought made Kyle feel very vulnerable and trapped.

And he didn't like that.

His palms were sweaty when he reached the doorstep, and his heart was pounding loudly in his chest. Licking his dry lips, he slowly knocked on the door. This was it. No turning back now.

He waited a few moments, and was glad when Stan opened the door. The other boy grinned at his surprise.

"Dude!" Kyle exclaimed. "I didn't expect you to beat me here. I thought you had plans this afternoon."

"Well, they were earlier today, so I just skipped out a bit early."

"Awesome."

Kyle stepped inside, his apprehension not much lessened by Stan's presence. After dropping his sleeping bag and bag of clothes unceremoniously on the ground, he glanced around. He didn't see Cartman, but he spotted Kenny sitting on the couch, grinning over at him.

"Hey, Kyyyyle," teased Kenny. "It's nice to see our new resident drunk out and about so early."

Kyle frowned. "Ok, just because I got totally trashed last night doesn't mean I'm going to be a resident drunk. I don't think I'll be doing that again anytime soon. The thought of alcohol after last night makes me want to hurl."

Kenny laughed. "Yeah, you were pretty wasted." He lifted up his shirt just as Cartman walked in from the kitchen. "I couldn't get all of that damn marker off my chest yet."

Kyle glanced at Kenny's chest, not at all ready to look in Cartman's direction. The drawing looked about the same as it had in his recollection of last night, even though it was quite faded.

"Goddamnit, the Jew is here and no one told me! Don't you guys know I have to be in the room at all times when he's here so he doesn't try anything funny?"

Kyle scowled, but still didn't have the nerve to say anything back. Kenny raised an eyebrow at Kyle questioningly, but said nothing.

"Shut up, Cartman," Stan said automatically in Kyle's absent reply. "Did you order the pizza?"

"Of course I ordered the pizza!" Cartman replied, plopping down on the couch next to Kenny. "Let's keep playing!"

They hooked up an extra controller for Kyle, and they started to play a racing game. Kyle wasn't that big into racing games, but he knew that Stan loved them, so he didn't complain. Kyle calmed down as he played, since Cartman's only input to conversation was random comments and swears related to the game. After the pizza arrived, they put the game aside, and that was when Kenny brought up last night.

"Stan, you should have seen it. Kyle was SO drunk last night."

Kyle almost gagged on a bite of pizza.

"Really?"

"Yeah!" Kenny exclaimed. "I swear - it was the funniest thing in the world. He was slurring, and swaying like a true alcoholic."

Kyle rolled his eyes, but was too nervous to say anything. He continued to eat, but a little bit slower this time. He glanced quickly over at Cartman, who was studying him thoughtfully. Kyle could feel his cheeks grow a bit warm, so his eyes snapped downward.

"By the way, Kyle, what was Bebe talking to you about?"

Kyle looked up at Kenny, wondering what he should say. He didn't want to lie to his friends, but he also didn't want to admit the truth in front of Cartman. Plus, he wasn't sure how Kenny would take it, since he was dating Bebe for a short time earlier that week.

"Uh, she…" He chewed on his piece of pizza, swallowing hard. "She asked me out, actually."

"What?" Kenny gasped. "What did you say?"

Kyle didn't want to repeat what he said. "I… told her that I, uh, wasn't really that… interested."

"How could you not be interested?" Kenny pressed, frowning slightly. "She's the hottest girl in school."

"Well, you were going out with her for a little bit, so I wasn't sure how that all worked," Kyle replied, surprised at how convincing he sounded.

But Kenny didn't look convinced. Stan was purposefully avoiding his gaze, so he couldn't judge his reaction, and he was certainly not going to look at Cartman.

"Its fine, you know," said Kenny.

"Oh, well… then maybe I'll talk to her again on Monday," Kyle stammered.

Cartman snorted. Kyle's stomach clenched in sudden fear, but the other boy only replied, "Bebe's a bitch."

Kenny grinned. "Yeah, but she can deep throat like a pro."

Kyle frowned at the visual, Stan rolled his eyes, and Cartman laughed.

"I guess then I can understand sleeping with her, but I don't know why someone would want to DATE her."

Kyle paused, looking at Cartman. _What?_

"I mean," Cartman continued, "I would understand why Kyle wouldn't want to date her. She's SO annoying. Plus, she'd talk about your sex life to EVERYONE. Look at what she said about Clyde last year. Jew-boy wouldn't survive one week with all the horrible things she'd say about him."

Kyle stared at Cartman, evaluating what he just said. He swallowed and plunged forward. "Who's to say that she's be COMPLAINING?" he retorted.

"Everyone knows Jews aren't coordinated enough to have good sex."

"What? That's bullshit, Cartman. You're making that up!"

"No I'm not. It's a scientifically proven fact that Jews can't do two things at once…"

"Shut up, Fatass! Even if that were true, at least I wouldn't crush her like you would!"

"Hey!"

Kenny and Kyle laughed a bit while Stan pinched the bridge of his nose. Although Kyle was still uneasy, he felt relieved that his bickering with Cartman seemed normal. But there was a thought in the back of his mind that wondered: _did Cartman just SAVE me from continuing that conversation with Kenny?_

-.-.-.-.-.

Overall, the night was rather uneventful. They sat around eating pizza for a bit, complaining about the various girls in their grade, then resumed playing video games. After they got bored of that, they threw in a Terrance and Phillip movie.

After Stan passed out on his sleeping bag, Kenny scooted closer to Kyle on the couch. "So, Kyle… about last night."

Kyle tensed slightly, glancing at Kenny. "W-what about it?" He could see Cartman peer over at them from the other side of the couch.

"That was the hottest thing, you on the dance floor. If you ever want to, you know, relieve that sexual frustration, you can always turn to me."

Kyle shifted, nervous at Kenny's advances. "Uh, well, that probably won't be necessary. Last night was… weird."

"Weird, but good. You were SO hot."

Kyle's cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink, and he could feel his palms start to sweat again. He wasn't sure if Kenny was kidding or not, so he wasn't sure as to how to respond.

"Give it a rest Kenny, he's not going to sleep with you," Cartman snapped. "Let's just watch the movie."

"Whatever, asshole," Kenny responded. "I feel that Kyle and I would make some awesome sex if he'd just give me the chance."

"Whatever, Fag."

Kenny glared at Cartman, his attention averted from Kyle for the moment. "Fag? I've never thought of another guy like that, but you have to admit, Kyle was pretty sexy up there. Can't you just imagine what sorts of naughty things Kyle would be into?"

Cartman frowned, shifting a bit. Kyle sputtered, "W-what? I-I wouldn't… I… no!"

Kenny laughed quietly. "Besides, I think I saw that you were sporting a pretty obvious boner there, Cartman."

Oh god. Kyle was about to die. He didn't like where this conversation was going, but he wasn't sure how to stop it.

"Well… That…" Cartman seemed to be at a loss of words for the first time in his life, his face turning a light shade of red.

"Dude," Kyle said tersely. "Of course he had a boner." Cartman looked over at Kyle, shocked. "We all did! I mean, we were rubbing ourselves all over each other, so yeah, we had boners. The straightest guy would have gotten them. Plus, we were drinking. That probably didn't help."

Kyle wasn't sure if that helped the situation or not, but he could tell that Cartman, at least, was relieved. Kenny, however, didn't seem persuaded.

"Whatever. I'm still saying that it was hot. For ALL of us." Kenny then grinned, trying to take the seriousness out of the conversation. "…which is why I suggest we all go upstairs and have an orgy."

"No thank you. I already had to scrub all of those Jew germs off this morning. I don't think my skin can handle any more," Cartman quipped.

Kyle glared over at Cartman. "Besides, I think we'd all puke if we'd have to see Cartman naked."

"Hey! I happen to be very sexy."

"Yeah, right."

Luckily, Kenny dropped the subject as Kyle and Cartman bickered randomly throughout the movie. However, Kenny's curious and knowing glances towards Kyle didn't go unnoticed. Kyle figured that Kenny was aware that he was gay, but he wasn't really sure what to make of Kenny's advances. Either Kenny was trying to get Kyle to slip and admit his sexuality, or he was actually interested. Or, perhaps he had noticed the tenseness between himself and Cartman. After a while, Kyle decided that he didn't want to think about it anymore. He gruffly said goodnight and went to lie on his sleeping bag. He fell asleep almost instantly, despite the loud movie playing in the background.

-.-.-.-.-.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, that's chapter 6. I'm debating about what direction I want to take it in for the next chapter. I have three ideas floating around in my head, and I can't seem to settle on one. But, I'm sure I'll make a decision soon. I hope you liked this chapter. It certainly didn't have the sexual tension the previous chapter had, but I'll be returning with more of that soon. ;)


	8. Chapter 7

Hate – Chapter 7

_Stan: Last night was totally awesome. We really need to hang out more._

_Kyle: Definitely! It's been way too long since the four of us got to hang like that._

_Stan: I was also glad that you came to Token's the other night, even though I didn't get to see you much._

Kyle bit his lip. He was lying on his stomach, his laptop in front of him on the bed. It was Sunday night. The morning had flown by, and before he knew it, they were all leaving Cartman's house to go home. Kyle never approached Cartman to talk about what had happened Friday night, nor did the subject come up again amongst the group. He had thrown himself into doing his homework, so that he didn't have to analyze the events any further. He kicked his feet in the air a bit, glad that he had some alone time with Stan, even though it was in the form of an IM.

_Kyle: Yeah, I had a blast that night too …although I DID get pretty hammered._

_Stan: I wish I could have hung out with you more._

_Kyle: Well, I understand. Wendy was there and all._

_Stan: Yeah._

_Kyle: Dude, Kenny's been flirting with me ever since that night… it's weird._

_Stan: Well, I saw the three of you on the dance floor. It was pretty intense._

_Kyle: I guess… I don't really remember it all that well._

_Stan: lol. Maybe it's better that way?_

_Kyle: Maybe. I don't like not knowing what happened._

_Stan: Well, I think Kenny was surprised to see you like that. It's not like you're usually so… I don't know._

_Kyle: lol._

_Stan: Yeah._

_Kyle: It was weird with Cartman too._

_Stan: Yeah?_

_Kyle: I mean, it's cool, but… we weren't fighting at all. And, he said that he considered us almost friends, which is really weird._

_Stan: Well, we've all been friends since forever. _

_Kyle: Yeah, but Cartman and I always hated each other, even though the four of us hung out._

_Stan: Well, maybe you've both grown up._

_Kyle: Maybe. _

Kyle sighed. He wanted to tell Stan in person, but he feared that either Kenny or Cartman would let something slip to Stan. He decided that although it wasn't the way he envisioned the conversation starting, he was going to go ahead and have it anyway.

_Kyle: Stan? Can I tell you something?_

_Stan: What?_

_Kyle: I'd… rather do this in person, but… I don't want to tell you at school, and I know we've both been busy… but… _

He paused, his stomach knotting up nervously. He trusted Stan, but he had barely come to terms with it himself.

_Kyle: I'm gay._

There was a pause before Stan responded. Kyle found it difficult to breathe until Stan's reply popped up on his screen.

_Stan: I… don't know how to respond to that. But… ok. That's cool. How long did you know?_

Kyle let out a sigh of relief. He knew Stan wouldn't care, but it still made him nervous breaching the topic anyway. He smiled slightly, the tenseness completely gone.

_Kyle: I don't know. To be honest, I've been avoiding thinking about it, but… I suppose I've known for a while. You won't feel weird?_

_Stan: No. Kyle, you're my best friend. I mean, it's kind of weird, I guess. but… no offense, but I've known too. At least, I've suspected._

_Kyle: Am I that transparent?_

_Stan: lol, maybe. You just never seemed to take an interest in girls, is all. But to be fair, you haven't really shown any interest in guys, either._

_Kyle: Well, I think I showed some interest on Friday night, grinding up with Kenny and Cartman, and with some of the things I said. I think they both figured it out. Plus, when Bebe asked me out, I stupidly told her that I wasn't interested in girls. _

_Stan: shit_

_Kyle: Yeah, I'm totally screwed. She'll probably tell the whole school tomorrow. And seriously, I don't want this to become a big deal. I'm not flaming like Big Gay Al, or weird like Ms. Garrison. But I'd totally be associated with them if everyone knew._

_Stan: Well, maybe she won't. Wendy has told me in the past that Bebe has kept some of Wendy's secrets – you know, the big ones… so maybe Bebe won't say anything._

_Kyle: I hope so. I've only recently thought about any of this, and I don't really need the school in my business as I try to figure all of this out._

_Stan: Yeah. Well, I promise I won't tell anyone, and I doubt Kenny would blab. _

_Kyle: Mostly I'm just worried about Cartman and Bebe._

_Stan: Well… I heard your conversation last night, and by the sound of it, Cartman probably won't say anything._

_Kyle: Huh?_

_Stan: I was awake. I heard Kenny say he had a boner. … Did he? _

Kyle frowned. He didn't like thinking about that.

_Kyle: Yeah._

_Stan: Well, see? It would be hard to use this against you, because you could easily retort that he had a boner. AND let you sleep in his bed afterwards. So… you're in the clear, I think._

_Kyle: I didn't sleep with him though!_

_Stan: lol, dude, I know. But Cartman was rather embarrassed about it. Kenny somehow dragged the information out of him. He talked as if he already knew that Cartman and you shared the bed, and Cartman fell for it. Lol. He was pretty upset with Kenny._

_Kyle: This was before I got there?_

_Stan: Yeah. Kenny was trying to get information out of Cartman and filling me in about what happened._

_Kyle: Dude, I don't know what to do about Kenny…_

_Stan: Yeah, I don't know. Sorry. But I'm sure you'll figure something out. _

_Kyle: I suppose._

_Stan: Anyway, I think that next weekend we should all try to hang again. In fact, I think we should all try to put away a block of time every week for it. I mean, we only have so much time before you run off to some fancy college and I get the hell out of here… and who knows what Cartman is going to do._

_Kyle: Probably try to take over the world or start a Nazi camp or something._

_Stan: lol. But what do you think? I hate that we haven't been able to hang a lot lately._

_Kyle: I'd be up to it, as long as Kenny starts to leave me alone after a while. Lol._

_Stan: Awesome! We should definitely ask the guys. I think we should always try for Saturday nights. I have things going on during the day, usually, but I'm free those nights. Plus, then we aren't interfering with Friday night, which is when most of the parties and games are. And Sunday morning is church…_

_Kyle: And I'm busy that night doing homework and stuff. So… that would be perfect! _

_Stan: Awesome. So, I haven't been able to tell you, but I had an awesome practice Thursday night…_

Kyle didn't care much for Stan's practice or game rants, mostly because he wasn't into sports himself, but he let the other boy ramble on about it. Kyle loved his best friend, especially more now that he knew that Stan had been missing him too, but also because he didn't care that he was gay. No matter what, he could trust Stan. Kyle smiled as Stan explained to Kyle how some complicated move he did by accident ended up being on the play list for the next game.


	9. Chapter 8

Hate – 8

It was Monday. Kyle studied Ms. Miner's butt, not even bothering to listen to her explanation but rather listening to Clyde's comments about how big it was compared to the rest of her body. Kyle had never noticed, but then again, it wasn't often that he checked out girls butts.

"I mean, look at that monster. Not that it's a bad thing… I'd totally hit that," Clyde muttered.

"Yeah, she's the hottest thing in South Park," Craig observed quietly.

"I don't know, I think her stupidity is a total turnoff," Cartman remarked. Kyle glanced to his right at Cartman, and the boy was scowling at Ms. Miner as she erased half of a math problem to redo it, apologizing for her error. Kyle quickly looked away. He found that throughout the entirety of class, he wasn't able to look at Cartman for longer than two seconds.

"Well, who cares if she's stupid? It's better than being smart, I say. I mean, smart people tend to be prudes, since they think about things too much. I mean, look at Wendy. I bet she's horrible in the bedroom. I feel sorry for Stan," Clyde replied.

Kyle scowled. "Being smart doesn't mean you're a prude," he said, turning his head back to look at Clyde. "Stan has never complained about Wendy being a prude."

"You only say that because you're smart, and therefore, a prude."

"What?" Kyle hissed. "I'm not a prude."

"Um, yeah. You are. This is the most input you've had in our conversations all year. You never talk about sex. You never talk about girls. You never go to our parties."

"I went to Token's party this weekend."

"Yeah, just that once. I bet your friends had to beg you."

Kyle scowled, looking back up front again. "I'm not a prude."

The boys snickered behind him. Kyle glanced over at Cartman, who had been looking at him, but the other boy quickly looked away. Kyle sighed, looking back at Ms. Miner. This was going to be a long class.

-.-.-.-.-.

When class was over, Kyle quickly got up. Clyde and Craig had spent the remainder of class teasing Kyle about being a prude. They kept asking him questions, like how many people he's slept with and what the dirtiest thing he had done was. He had remained silent, but inside he was fuming. Cartman had occasionally chimed in, but he was definitely holding back, something he had never done before. But by the end of class, he seemed to have regained his ability to tick Kyle off.

Kyle bent down to grab his backpack, throwing it over his shoulder as he straightened up. He started heading towards the door, Cartman right behind him.

"Kyle, I hope you don't take it personally. I mean, plenty of people are prudes," Cartman began, following him out of the classroom. It seemed that he had finally gotten the nerve to talk to Kyle. "Look at our class. There's Wendy, but she's better than you. I mean, she IS sleeping with Stan. Oh, there's Butters! You're definitely better than him. He hasn't come to ANY of the drinking parties, and he's a virgin."

"Shut up, Cartman!" snarled Kyle, angered by Cartman's sarcastic tone. Cartman always pissed him off when he talked like that. "You're such an asshole." Kyle slammed his math book back into his locker, his blood boiling.

"Jeez Kahl. There's no need to get so snippy. It was just an observation."

"Fuck you."

"Oh my, what strong language, Kahl."

"Fuck. You. Fatass."

"I'd prefer not."

Kyle growled, grinding his teeth together in agitation. He was seriously having trouble believing that Cartman had been civil to him over the weekend. He turned toward Cartman.

"You're just as big of a prude as I am. You may talk big, but you haven't dated anyone either!"

"Oh yeah? Well, I go to the parties, AND I'd be more active in bed than you, who would just sit there and let the girl take charge."

"Please. I bet you'd lose it the second she'd take her top off."

"Do you guys know you fight like you're still in fourth grade?" Stan asked, walking up to them.

"I would not, Kahl. Better than you, who would probably not get off at all, Fag."

Stan froze, looking sharply at Cartman. Kyle could feel Stan's tenseness, but all he could see was Cartman. The larger boy's eyes widened slightly, as if knowing that he had crossed the line. Kyle was feeling a million different emotions at once, and a moment passed as he glared at Cartman. However, anger was the feeling that he chose to express at the moment. He strode up to Cartman, shoving him as hard as he could. Cartman took a few steps back, but wasn't fazed too much by Kyle's feeble attempt.

"You know what, Cartman?" Kyle hissed. "I don't fucking care. Yeah, I'm gay, but so what? Better than you, who hides in the closet and pretends that he's straight. Fuck you, Cartman, you're not worth my time. I hate you."

Kyle immediately slammed his locker and strode off, not looking back at Stan and Cartman's surprised faces. He didn't fucking care anymore.

-.-.-.-.-.

He did care when he was sitting in English class and he had a moment to calm down. His friends weren't in this class with him, so he had a chance to be by himself. He ignored the teacher, something he never did, as this was one of his favorite classes. After the anger waned, Kyle found himself feeling shocked, hurt, and scared. He wasn't even sure why he got so mad at Cartman.

It had been Craig and Clyde that he had been truly angry with. But when Cartman had started in on him after class, he had blown up. Certainly, Cartman deserved it. He was an asshole. But Kyle had gotten angrier than he normally would have. Also, Kyle was pretty sure that he would have been able to keep himself under control if he wasn't dealing with his recent realization about his sexuality. Kyle felt stupid and humiliated.

It was after English that Kyle and his friends had lunch. He wandered towards the lunch room, wondering if the whole school knew by now that Kyle was gay. He hadn't been loud when he announced it to Cartman, but he was worried that Cartman would retaliate to his anger by telling everyone in school.

He entered the lunchroom and looked around. Stan was already sitting at their lunch table. He knew that after seeing Kyle and Cartman fight like that, Stan wouldn't ditch him for Wendy, but he still felt relieved when he saw him there. He got in line for food, and saw Cartman and Kenny ahead of him. He didn't call out to them.

After he got his food, he wandered slowly over to the lunch table. Cartman was sitting there. He had plopped himself down next to Kenny, who was across from Stan. Kyle's stomach twisted. He wasn't sure he wanted to join his friends anymore. He took a deep breath and walked over.

He put his tray down and sat, swallowing nervously. He didn't look at Cartman.

"Hey Kyle!" Kenny greeted, grinning over at him.

"Hey guys," Kyle responded, not too enthusiastically.

"So I was just telling the others," Kenny laughed. "So, I saw Butters in the hallway today asking out Rebecca!"

Kyle took a bite of his pizza.

"It was sooo funny. He was poking his fingers together nervously, and she shot him down. Poor bastard."

"I'm surprised he had the balls," responded Cartman, opening up a bag of potato chips. "I mean, he told me last week that he had a crush on her, but he wasn't sure if he should ask her out. He told me he knew that she would say no."

"That kid has to get a girlfriend," Stan commented thoughtfully. "I think he'd learn how to be less awkward that way."

"I bet when he first has sex, he'll be a total nympho," Kenny concluded.

Kyle continued to eat his pizza in silence. His three friends continued to talk about Butters before going on about Stan's upcoming game. When he finished his pizza, he started to poke at his salad. He speared all of the tomatoes, separating them out of the salad.

"What are you doing?"

Kyle's heart skipped a beat. He looked up at Cartman, the last person he wanted to talk to. "I, uh… don't like tomatoes?"

"Stupid Jew. Don't you know that tomatoes are good for you?" said Cartman, reaching over with his fork and spearing on. He popped it into his mouth.

Kyle stared at him for a moment, blinking. Cartman studied him back, chewing quietly. He swallowed before smirking at him.

"You hit like a girl, Broflovski."

Kyle continued to stare at him, taking in Cartman's comment. Cartman met his gaze easily, lifting his eyebrow up slightly. As realization hit Kyle, a tiny smile hinted at his lips. Things were ok again.

"Fuck off, Cartman."


	10. Chapter 9

Hate – 9

_Kyle: So Stan had this great idea – that we should pick a day of the week, and every week we hang out on that day, no matter what._

That night, Kyle sat at his desk, IMing with Cartman and Kenny. It had occurred to him that at lunch, they hadn't brought up their plan. He rocked back on his chair slightly as he chatting with them.

_Kenny: Sounds good._

_Kyle: We picked Saturday night… we figured it was the most convenient._

_Kenny: Well, that works for me._

_Kyle: Cartman?_

_Cartman: Yeah, it's cool._

_Kyle: Sweet!_

_Kenny: Seriously, I think it's a great idea. We don't hang that much anymore, and last weekend was awesome._

_Kyle: Yeah, that's what I thought. :D_

_Kenny: Well, I gotta go. I'll see you both at lunch tomorrow._

_Kyle: Bye Kenny!_

_Cartman: Later._

_Kenny: Bye._

Kyle watched his laptop screen as Kenny signed off. Although things seemed to have returned to normal, Kyle still felt awkward about the events over the weekend and earlier that day. He decided that he didn't have the guts to do it in person, but he'd apologize to Cartman anyway.

_Kyle: Cartman? You still there?_

_Cartman: Yeah._

_Kyle: I wanted to apologize._

_Cartman: ?_

_Kyle: For… today… and the party. I don't know what's come over me lately._

_Cartman: Is it that time of the month?_

_Kyle: Would it kill you to be serious for one moment?_

_Cartman: Probably._

_Kyle: Screw you._

_Cartman: Look, things haven't changed. _

_Kyle: What do you mean?_

_Cartman: Things haven't changed. Whatever we talked about at the party… things haven't changed. So don't apologize._

Kyle wasn't sure what to make of that. _Things haven't changed? _In a way they had. They had been talking more in the last week than they had since middle school. And for some sick, twisted reason, Kyle had found himself trusting Cartman to keep Kyle's sexuality a secret from the school. Kyle hadn't been able to trust Cartman since fifth grade. But even though he knew he shouldn't trust Cartman, for some unexplainable reason, he did. However, despite his feelings, Kyle knew that he wasn't going to have this conversation with Cartman. After all, talking about something so personal wasn't what they did.

_Kyle: Ok._

_Cartman: So… you're gay, huh?_

So much for not talking about personal matters.

_Kyle: Yeah, I guess._

_Cartman: You guess?_

_Kyle: No, I… I am. I'm just getting used to admitting it._

_Cartman: Well, you should ditch your hat._

_Kyle: What?_

_Cartman: You should ditch your hat. It's ugly, and you're never going to get laid wearing it._

_Kyle: Well, what about my hair?_

_Cartman: It's not so bad._

Kyle blinked, sitting up more in his chair. His stomach twisted nervously.

_Kyle: You think so?_

_Cartman: Yeah._

_Kyle: How do you know?_

_Cartman: I saw you without it the other night, remember?_

Kyle did remember. He had taken it off before passing out against Cartman. He pushed the memory out of his head.

_Kyle: Yeah._

_Cartman: I'm surprised you do. Kenny was right - you were pretty wasted._

_Kyle: Yeah… it's really embarrassing._

_Cartman: Please. It's not like you're the first person to get drunk._

_Kyle: That's true, but I was saying and doing stupid stuff all night._

_Cartman: You weren't that bad._

_Kyle: Yeah right. I can't remember everything, but I do remember making a complete ass of myself._

_Cartman: It WAS pretty funny._

_Kyle: To you, maybe. You aren't the one who has to endure Kenny hitting on you. Did you know that he grabbed my ass today after lunch?_

_Cartman: Whatever, you probably like it._

Kyle found himself chuckling at this. He shook his head.

_Kyle: I would if it wasn't Kenny, maybe._

_Cartman: You seemed pretty into him at the party._

_Kyle: No. That was the alcohol. _

_Cartman: lol, I don't know. You were grinding against him pretty hard._

Kyle could feel his cheeks get warm. Kyle hesitated before typing a response, but decided that he didn't care. He was feeling rather brave, especially since the conversation was occurring online as opposed to face-to-face.

_Kyle: It wasn't as if he was the only one I was dancing with._

There was a long pause. Kyle's stomach continued to do flips, and he swallowed nervously, his foot tapping on the floor impatiently. Finally, the reply came.

_Cartman: Ah yes. I forgot about my cologne that makes me irresistible to gay Jews._

Kyle snorted.

_Kyle: Yeah, you got to be careful with that stuff. You're going to attract all the gay Jews to South Park. Then what will you do?_

_Cartman: Well, since they'd all jump me at once, I'd probably die from Jew germs. _

_Kyle: I'd think you'd die from exhaustion first. You're probably immune to Jew germs by now._

_Cartman: Yeah. If I wasn't immune before the party, I certainly am now._

_Kyle: lol, you're an asshole._

_Cartman: I know. You know that I'm hosting a party this Friday night, right? You coming?_

_Kyle: I don't know…_

_Cartman: Come on, you prude._

_Kyle: I'm not a prude._

_Cartman: Then prove it._

Kyle paused, weighing his options. He didn't want to get trashed again, but he could probably show up for a few drinks.

_Kyle: Fine, I'll come._

_Cartman: Good. I'll make sure to wear my cologne. See you tomorrow._

Cartman immediately signed off. Kyle gaped at his computer screen. Did he just have a flirtatious conversation with Cartman? Was Cartman just kidding, or was he semi-serious? Kyle wasn't sure, but he did know that the conversation had made his heart pound a little bit harder in his chest, and he couldn't stop smiling.


	11. Chapter 10

Hate – 10

For the rest of the week, it was as if the conversation online had never happened. Cartman acted the same around him as usual, and their bickering was pretty lighthearted. However, Kyle felt his stomach twist occasionally when he met Cartman's eyes with his own.

He wasn't really sure why he was feeling this way, and he wasn't sure how much of it he was making up in his own head. They had been enemies for so long that Kyle found it difficult imagining even the possibility that Cartman was taking an interest in him. However, he couldn't help feeling a little excited when Friday rolled around.

The school day dragged on for an entirety, but the afternoon wasn't that much better. He tried to do his homework to distract himself, but it didn't work.

Close to the start time of the party, he wandered into the bathroom. He checked himself out in the mirror, and nervously took off his hat. His red curls fell around his face messily. Kyle always wore his hat, and that was mostly due to Cartman's teasing when they were little. He didn't want to deal with Cartman's pointing and laughing, so he just continued to wear it. However, he had cut what Cartman referred to as his "Jew-fro" sometime in middle school, and he should have just ditched the hat.

He took a deep breath. He wondered if he was going to crash at Cartman's that night. Otherwise, he wasn't sure what he was going to do. There was no way he was going to sneak back into his own house. He had told his mother that he was going to go to Stan's for the night, and he didn't want to risk the chance of being caught in the lie.

He ran down the stairs, calling a hasty "bye!" in the direction of the living room as he quickly exited the house. As he started the trek to Cartman's house, he stuffed his hands in his pockets. He was excited but nervous at the same time. He had never felt this way when going to a party, let alone Cartman's house. He licked his lips, shivering slightly from the cold.

The walk was brief, but that was probably due to the fact that Kyle was walking rather quickly. When he arrived at Cartman's, he could hear the music from outside the house. He quickly hopped up the step on the porch and rang to doorbell. A few seconds went by before Cartman opened the door.

"Hey, Jew."

"Fatass."

Cartman stepped to the side to let Kyle in. He quickly stepped into the warm house, rubbing his gloved hands together.

"Shit, it's cold out tonight."

"Yeah, it's only going to get worse."

Kyle slowly took off his jacket, looking around. The vibe of the party was completely different from Token's. It was just some people from their class that Cartman got along with, but there were still at least ten people over. He didn't see Stan or Kenny, but he saw other people that he knew from class.

"Where's Stan and Kenny?"

"Oh, those guys are assholes and didn't bother showing up. Kenny is out with some tramp, and Stan's probably going down on Wendy as we speak."

Kyle wrinkled his nose. "Ew."

"Exactly."

Cartman wandered off toward the kitchen as Kyle was greeted by Jimmy and Clyde. Kyle chatted with them idly, looking around to see who had all shown up. He wasn't that surprised when he realized that there were no girls at the party. The girls at school all hated Cartman, so it was no wonder they didn't show up.

Cartman came back holding a drink. He shoved it at Kyle. "Here, drink this."

Kyle sniffed it, frowning. "What is this?"

"Jack and coke."

When Kyle made a face, Cartman rolled his eyes.

"Just drink it, Jew, it's good for you. Besides, you drank it at last week's party."

"Yeah, but I was so wasted I could barely tell what it was."

Sighing, Kyle took a sip. It wasn't that bad, but he didn't really enjoy the whiskey aftertaste. He continued to sip it slowly, not wanting to get drunk like he had last time.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Time to go, Token. Get out," Cartman ordered. "I'm tired, go home."

Token laughed. "You're always so polite, Cartman."

"Everyone's gotta go. Off you go."

Token laughed as he was shooed out by Cartman. Kyle smirked, watching Cartman try to get rid of everyone. He struggled to get rid of Craig, who begged him to let him stay the night. He slammed the door in his face, locking the door.

"Finally! I thought that douche bag would never leave."

"I thought you were friends with him."

Cartman shrugged, glancing back at Kyle. "Let's go to bed."

Cartman started ascending the stairs. It was late, and Kyle had to admit that he was tired. He only had the one drink, watching as everyone else got completely trashed. He hadn't seen Cartman drink anything.

"You don't mind me staying?" Kyle asked, following Cartman.

"Well, I know how bitchy your mom can get," Cartman grunted, entering his room.

"You didn't let Craig stay."

"Craig's a douche."

Kyle laughed. "Yeah, I don't really like him much…"

"That's because he called you a pussy."

"True."

Kyle briefly wondered where he was going to sleep.

"So… where is your mom?"

"Working. She'll be out all night."

"Oh."

"Here." Cartman tossed a t-shirt at Kyle. Kyle caught it clumsily, almost dropping it on the floor.

"You can sleep in that," Cartman explained. "I'll be right back."

Cartman wandered out of the room, and Kyle heard the bathroom door close. He took off his shirt, slipping into the one Cartman provided. It was pretty big on him. He stripped off his jeans and socks, so that he was just wearing the shirt and boxers. He felt uncomfortable standing there in his underwear, and wondered if he should climb into Cartman's bed. Stan and he still shared beds when they slept over at each other's houses, but that was something he only did with Stan and never anyone else. Plus, it was never awkward.

_Well, _he thought, _where else am I going to sleep? _He quickly climbed into Cartman's bed, shivering a bit. As he burrowed under the covers, Cartman came back in. He laughed when he saw Kyle.

"You just can't wait to get into bed with me."

"It's cold out there!"

Cartman shook his head, turning off the lights. Kyle could hear him take off his pants, and felt the bed sink a bit when he got into bed with him. Kyle curled up on his side, still cold but slowly warming up.

There was a pause of silence before Cartman asked, "Are you shivering?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure I'll stop soon. This happens sometimes when it's really cold outside and when I first climb into bed."

"Shit, you need to eat more."

Kyle didn't respond, so they fell into silence again. A few minutes passed.

"So, uh… I had fun tonight…" Kyle offered.

"That's good. Did you see Craig almost break my TV? Stupid dumbass."

"Oh, was that what you were shouting about earlier?"

"Yeah. He was fucking around with my wii and threw the damn wiimote at the screen."

"Shit."

"Luckily it hit the side of the TV, so it didn't break. God, I would have KILLED him if he broke it."

"Remind me to never have a drinking party at my place."

"You're mom would never allow it."

"True. She'd kill me if she even knew I was GOING to these parties."

Cartman snorted. "What is she going to do when you go off to college? She won't be able to control you anymore."

Kyle shrugged. "I don't know. It's not THAT bad…"

"Please! She monitors what you do all the time, and don't even try to deny it."

Kyle opened his mouth to argue, but closed it immediately. Cartman was right. She had to know exactly what Kyle was doing at all hours of the day. The only reason he was able to hang out with his friends so much was because he had gotten good at lying to her. And although he didn't have to do it as much in the past couple of years, it had come back to him easily. The thought of actually telling her the truth that he was going to Stan's to play video games or hang with the group to goof off was ridiculous. She would never allow it. And even if she did, she would nag Kyle incessantly about doing his homework and studying so that he could get into a good university.

"Good point," he finally offered.

Cartman snorted. "Your mom's a bitch."

Kyle chuckled softly. "Yeah… she kind of is."

"Glad you can finally admit it."

"Shut up. I see you wore your cologne."

"Told you I would."

Kyle snorted, smiling softly.

"I see you didn't wear your hat."

Kyle felt his cheeks warm slightly. "Well, you said I'd never get laid wearing it."

"Yeah. Already the potential of you getting laid has doubled." Cartman cleared his throat. "Too bad Stan wasn't here… he might had jumped you."

"We're not like that, remember? Besides, Stan is the straightest person I know. Kenny is the one I'm worried about."

"I think he's just fucking with you. I can't imagine Kenny sleeping with another guy."

"That's what I think too, but it's still weird."

"Why? Because you like it?"

Kyle thought about that for a moment. He did enjoy dancing with both Kenny and Cartman at the party, and Kenny's flirtatious advances, although not entirely welcome, were definitely flattering.

"Well… I don't know if I necessarily LIKE it, but… it IS kind of flattering."

"What, that he's flirting with you?"

"Yeah. I'm… not used to that."

Cartman snorted. "The girls at school flirt with you all the time."

"I guess, but… I don't know. It's different having a guy do it."

"It's more up your alley."

Kyle laughed. "Yeah, it is."

They fell into a comfortable silence. Kyle snuggled up under the covers, his back towards Cartman. Cartman's bed, along with the shirt that he lent him, smelled nice, and he closed his eyes.

"Thanks for letting me stay," he mumbled sleepily into the pillow.

"It's no big deal. Night, Jew. Don't try to kill me in my sleep."

"Hmm…" Kyle smiled. "Night. Don't roll on top of me and crush me to death, Fatass."

With that, both boys quickly fell into a peaceful slumber.

-.-.-.-.-.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So this chapter was very difficult to write. I wrote it completely different the first time, but I thought that I was pushing things too quickly, plus I wasn't happy with the direction it was going in. So, after a few feeble attempts at fixing what I had written, I chose to rewrite it. I feel that this version is ten times better, and I hope that it was ok for everyone.

10 chapters. Can you believe it? I really can't. Considering I have never gotten into this whole fanfiction thing, I'm feeling pretty good. :D Honestly, I couldn't have done it without all of my lovely reviewers. You give me the confidence and courage to post my silly stories on the internet for your entertainment. Thank you a million times over. It really brings a smile to my face when I see that another person has reviewed my latest chapter. Thanks, all!


	12. Chapter 11

Hate – 11

Kyle had thought waking up spooning Cartman after drinking was mortifying, but he quickly learned that there were more awkward situations he could get himself into. He slowly drifted into consciousness, his eyelids fluttering open as the events from last night slowly came back. He felt pleasantly warm. He then realized after a brief moment that his legs were tangled up in Cartman's, and he was pressed against him. They were both lying on their sides facing each other. Kyle's face was mere centimeters away from Cartman's neck, and worse yet, Cartman's arm was thrown over him, trapping him there.

Kyle froze, his breath catching in his throat. He felt his face flush from embarrassment as he tried to think of a way out of the situation without waking Cartman. Even if Cartman's arm wasn't there, he would probably still be unable to get away, since his legs were trapped as well. He slowly let out the breath he was holding. It also came to his attention that his right leg had fallen asleep. He experimentally tried to move it. Cartman grunted and shifted a bit, freeing Kyle's leg. Before he could silently celebrate, however, Cartman pulled Kyle closer to him.

Kyle gasped softly into Cartman's neck. He could feel Cartman's morning arousal pressing against his lower stomach. Panic started to set in. All he knew was that he had to get out of that situation, and fast. His own body was starting to react to Cartman's proximity and arousal, and his face flushed redder.

Although he didn't plan his escape thoroughly, it was a success. He abruptly pulled away from Cartman, skillfully wrenching out of Cartman's hold and scooting as far away as humanly possible. Cartman grunted, shifting from the sudden movement and waking up. He blinked over at Kyle, who was jumping out of bed.

"What the hell, Jew…"

"Morning!" Kyle quickly ran out of the bedroom and into the bathroom down the hall. He closed the door, trying not to slam it in his panic. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest, and his erection strained against his boxers. Glancing at himself in the mirror, he saw that his face resembled a tomato. He turned on the water and splashed cold water on his face, trying to calm himself down. _What the hell is wrong with me?_

-.-.-.-.-.

It took Kyle longer than normal to compose himself before he was able to return to Cartman's bedroom. He sheepishly reentered, looking over at Cartman. The other boy was still in bed, but was facing away where Kyle had lain. Kyle shivered, rubbing his hands on his arms. It was still early. Cartman's alarm clock read 5:51. It was too early to escape back to his house, so he opted to crawl into bed again.

He timidly returned, wondering if Cartman had fallen asleep again, but as he settled back under the covers, Cartman grunted at him.

"Next time you have to pee, Jew, try to get out of bed quietly."

"Sorry…" he muttered, feeling his face flush again.

They fell silent. Kyle felt uncomfortable, but was glad that Cartman didn't seem to know what had really happened. Kyle would once in a while find himself in awkward situations with Stan, but for some reason waking up in Cartman's arms seemed much worse in comparison.

Suddenly, he heard a loud slam. Kyle froze, his eyes flying open. There was another loud sound, and a crash. He unconsciously scooted closer to Cartman, grabbing his arm.

"Cartman, what the hell is that?" he hissed.

Cartman sighed, rolling over onto his back. "My mom's home."

Kyle blinked, looking up at Cartman's face. It was hard and devoid of emotion. Kyle's grip on Cartman's arm loosened, and fell to simply hold onto his sleeve. He listened intensely. He heard Mrs. Cartman stumble up the stairs, giggling. He then thought he heard a man's voice. He gripped the sleeve a bit more, and finally heard Liane's door slam shut.

Silence returned. Kyle swallowed, glancing back up at Cartman's face again. He was glaring up at the ceiling. Kyle knew that they wouldn't be talking about the incident.

Then, he heard another strange sound; then, more giggling. Kyle listened for a moment, then realized in horror that he was hearing the bed squeak and the headboard bump against the wall.

_No fucking way._

"Come on," Kyle said, sitting up. "Let's go."

"Huh?" Cartman asked, blinking up at him, jerking out of his reverie.

"Let's go," Kyle repeated, hopping out of bed. He found the clothes that he had worn last night, and pulled on his pants. Cartman sat up, frowning at him.

Kyle took off the shirt that Cartman had given him before flinging it at Cartman. "Come on, Fatass." He quickly changed into his own shirt.

Cartman continued to frown, tossing the shirt onto the floor, but he got up. He slowly started getting dressed.

"Hurry up."

"Goddamnit Jew, where are we going?"

Kyle didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed Cartman's arm, roughly pulling him out of the room and down the stairs. Dropping Cartman's arm, he promptly put on his coat. Cartman mimicked him, but still looked confused.

Kyle opened the door and hopped down the front steps into the cold morning. Cartman followed, mumbling something unintelligible.

"Come on," Kyle urged, leading the way. Cartman hesitated.

"Kahl, I swear to god, tell me where we are going."

Kyle sighed as he turned around. He stomped up to Cartman, grabbing his arm again. They locked eyes.

"Trust me." He pulled Cartman forward, leading the way down the driveway and onto the sidewalk. The two boys walked in silence, Kyle tugging on Cartman's arm encouragingly as they tromped down the street. It was quite cold, and Kyle once again wished he had taken his hat with him. However, he continued to trudge forward, trying to ignore the biting wind.

Finally, he veered off of the sidewalk and headed down a slope. Both boys skillfully maneuvered the slope and finally they reached their destination – Stark's Pond.

Kyle let go of Cartman's arm, moving up to the end of the frozen body of water. He shoved his gloved hands into his pockets, looking out over the water. Cartman slowly joined him, crossing his arms over his chest, looking out over the water as well. Neither boy spoke for a long time.

Finally, Cartman seemed to have found his voice. "Kyle…" he started softly.

Kyle looked over at the taller boy, his hair whipping slightly in the breeze. Cartman looked rather uncomfortable and seemed to be struggling with what to say next. Kyle smiled, lightly punching Cartman's arm.

"Shut up," he responded gently.

"I-I just…"

"I know."

Cartman looked back at Kyle, and for a long moment, their eyes met. Kyle had never seen such a vulnerable and tired expression from Cartman. He could tell that Cartman was struggling to control his emotions. The larger boy was never one to show what he was feeling.

But in that brief moment where both boys were looking at each other, Kyle felt as if he was seeing Cartman for the first time. Kyle gave Cartman an encouraging smile. He looked back over at the horizon, swaying his body toward Cartman to bump him gently with his arm. Silence engulfed the boys once more.

They stood there for a bit longer, watching the sun rise up over the far side of the pond. It wasn't until the sunrise was over and that Kyle had started shivering that Cartman grunted at the smaller boy.

"Let's go back. You'll freeze to death if we stay out here any longer."

Kyle nodded, glancing at Cartman. "Yeah, good idea."

Cartman led the way this time, climbing slowly up the hill. When Kyle caught up to him, Cartman mimicked Kyle's previous action and bumped him gently with his arm. Kyle smiled, looking down at the snow-covered ground below him. They returned to Cartman's house in companionable silence.


	13. Chapter 12

Hate – 12

Later that day, Kyle found himself rushing over to Stan's house. He had received an urgent text from the black-haired boy, begging him to come over ASAP. The group wasn't supposed to meet until four, and it was only two. He brought along his stuff for the sleepover anyway, even though he wasn't sure if it was still on.

He didn't even bother knocking. He had quit knocking sometime in early middle school. He hurried into the house, dropping his stuff onto the floor.

"Oh, hi, Kyle," greeted Stan's mom, popping her head out from the kitchen. "Stanley's upstairs."

"Thanks!" he answered, taking the steps two at a time. He quickly opened Stan's bedroom door, closing it behind him. He looked at Stan, who was sitting miserably on the bed.

"She dumped me!" Stan exclaimed, his eyes looking redder than normal.

Fuck. Kyle figured that was the case. He hurried over to Stan's side, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Dude."

"I know! And it was all because of some stupid fight we had earlier today."

Kyle remained silent, knowing that his friend would want to rant.

"I can't believe it. I got mad, because she was totally flirting with that stupid asshole Brian. He's a year ahead of us and the quarterback of the football team. I mean, I KNOW that she would never cheat on me, but I was still upset. She was doing it right in FRONT of me! So I called her on it once he left, and she got super defensive. 'You know I'd never cheat on you, Stan!' 'I can't believe you can't trust me!' 'You obviously don't know me at all, Stan, so maybe we shouldn't even be dating.' She just walked away!"

Kyle squeezed Stan's arm. Stan covered his eyes with his hand. "I just can't believe it, Kyle. I LOVE her."

Kyle nodded sympathetically.

"I don't know if I can have the guys over tonight."

"It's completely up to you, Stan. But… maybe it would be a good distraction. Plus, they deserve to know. They'll want to be there for you."

"Yeah… I don't know."

"It's your call, Stan. But no matter what, I'm staying. You don't need to be alone through all of this."

Stan pulled his hand away from his face, smiling at Kyle. "Thanks, man."

"Anytime, dude."

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan decided to take Kyle's advice, so they didn't cancel the sleepover. Sometime after the other boys arrived, they started up a round of poker while in Stan's room. They were playing some music from Stan's iTunes playlist, and using pennies as poker chips.

"I still think this would be more fun if we did strip poker," Kenny commented as he lost more pennies to Cartman. "…and cheaper."

"You just want to see the ugly Jew naked."

"Don't call me ugly, Fatass."

Kyle felt a brief pang in his chest, but he ignored it. Instead, he glanced over at Stan. His heart was definitely not in the game. He was barely participating, and when he did, he lost every time. Stan sighed softly to himself for the hundredth time.

"Jesus Christ, Stan, grow a pair," Cartman snapped. "It's just a girl."

"Shut up, Cartman!" Stan and Kyle said simultaneously.

"She's not just a girl," Stan continued, glaring over at Cartman.

"I beg to differ."

"You have no idea what this is like," Stan growled.

Cartman sighed, throwing his cards down. "For fucks sake, Stan. You know that she used to dump you, like, all the time."

"So?"

"SO – maybe then you should take a hint."

"What the hell is THAT supposed to mean?"

"It means that maybe you should find some other bitch to fuck."

"Say that again, fucker!" Stan snarled, lunging towards Cartman. Kenny quickly grabbed Stan, holding him back.

"Calm down, both of you," Kenny barked. "This isn't helping anyone."

"I'm just tired of him moping around like a girl," Cartman protested.

"Get out," growled Kyle, glaring over at Cartman.

Cartman blinked, looking over at Kyle. Kyle glared at him, gritting his teeth.

"Why, Kahl, you don't have to be so mean…"

"Get out, Fatass!" Kyle yelled, standing up. Cartman glared, standing up as well. Kenny continued to hold Stan back, his eyes growing wide.

Kyle was furious. It felt as if his blood was boiling as it pumped through his system, and there was a slight ringing in his ears. Cartman was being an asshole. He didn't need to kick Stan while he was down. Stan deserved to feel upset over something like this. It was moments like these that reminded Kyle why he wasn't close to Cartman when they were younger.

"No need to get so upset, Kahl."

"Yes, there is. You're being a major douche-bag."

"Well excuse me. Moping over Wendy isn't helping Stan."

"This just happened a few hours ago!"

"So? I don't see why he's so broken up about this. Wendy's a bitch…"

Stan snarled again. "Don't call her a bitch!"

"Get. Out. Right. Now." Kyle ground out, resisting the urge to slug Cartman.

Cartman just crossed his arms, looking combatively at Kyle. Kyle suddenly grabbed Cartman's arm, dragging him out of the room. His fingers dug into Cartman's arm, and he hoped that it hurt.

He closed Stan's door after them before shoving Cartman.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Kyle hissed. He couldn't believe that only 10 hours prior he was sharing a quiet, almost intimate moment with Cartman at Stark's Pond.

"Fuck you, Kyle."

"No, fuck you. There is no reason to be such a fucking jerk."

"What? Defending your boyfriend? Jeez, Kahl, don't be such a fa-"

SLAM. Kyle hit Cartman as hard as he could in the jaw. Cartman's head jerked to the side, but he recovered quickly, turning his head to dangerously glare at Kyle.

"Broflovski…" he threatened darkly.

"I can't believe you," Kyle growled. "And to think that I was starting to trust your sorry ass. That I was almost…" He shook his head, not daring to finish whatever he was about to say. "Go. Get lost."

He felt like screaming. Or crying. Or punching Cartman until he bled. Or running away. He glared at the taller boy, feeling so many conflicting emotions that he had a hard time defining his feelings.

"I hate you, you stupid Jew. Fuck all you guys, I'm going home." With that, Cartman stomped down the stairs and to the Marshs' front door, slamming it after him. Kyle glared at the front door, inwardly fuming at Cartman's betrayal. After a few deep breaths, Kyle returned to Stan's bedroom, mentally preparing himself for the long night that lay ahead.


	14. Chapter 13

Hate - 13

No matter how many times Kyle ran the argument through his head, he couldn't explain why Cartman had been so insensitive. The only answer he could think of was that Cartman was still Cartman, and that fact wasn't going to change. The thought made Kyle's stomach flip. He had felt closer to Cartman in the last two weeks than he could have ever thought possible, but all that was ruined by Cartman's thoughtlessness.

It had taken hours for Kenny and Kyle to calm Stan down on Saturday night, and even then the heartbroken boy couldn't be completely reassured. It was a late night for all three. On Sunday night, Kyle spoke with Stan on the phone, and it didn't seem like he felt any better. Stan didn't show up to school on Monday. Kyle avoided all eye contact with Cartman, and when lunch came around, Kenny and Kyle weren't joined by their rude friend.

It was Tuesday when Cartman tried to talk to Kyle.

"Pst! Jew!" Cartman whispered, being careful to try and gain Kyle's attention when Ms. Miner's back was turned. "Jew!"

Kyle ignored him, glaring at Ms. Miner's back.

"Jew! Goddamnit, Kyle, look at me."

_No way, asshole,_ thought Kyle bitterly.

"Kyle… I need to talk to you. Meet me after school behind the gym. Kyle? Are you listening? Behind the gym!"

Kyle didn't acknowledge Cartman, and eventually the other boy gave up.

-.-.-.-.-.

It was Wednesday when Cartman took matters into his own hands. Kyle had ignored his request to meet him after school on Tuesday. So after math class on Wednesday, Cartman grabbed Kyle's arm, dragging him down the hallway.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Kyle squawked indignantly. "Next period is about to start!"

"Shut up," Cartman responded, easily pulling the smaller boy behind him.

"Cartman, let go of me!"

Even though Kyle struggled, it was useless. Cartman tugged Kyle easily into a nearby bathroom, locking the door behind him so that they wouldn't be bothered. He quickly looked around the bathroom to ensure that they were alone.

Kyle scowled, angry that Cartman was making him miss his next class. The bell rang.

"Goddamnit all to fuck, Carman, what the hell? I need to get to class!"

"Language, Kahl."

"What the hell do you want?"

Kyle glared at Cartman, not wanting to have whatever conversation they were about to have. In fact, he'd be happy if he never had to talk to Cartman again. He hated him. He had once again been disappointed by the other boy, fooled into believing that he had changed. It hurt. It hurt him more than he had expected. It hurt him more than he wanted to admit to himself.

"What the hell is your problem? I thought all that sand was out of there."

"Fuck you, Cartman. I'm going to class." Kyle attempted to go around the larger boy, but Cartman easily blocked his way.

"You're not going anywhere, Jew, until we talk."

"Talk about what - how much of a douche bag you were to Stan?"

"I wasn't being a douche bag, Kyle. It's Wendy you should be concerned about."

"Why the fuck do you have to be such an asshole?" Kyle hissed.

"I told you," Cartman ground out. "He needs to stop being such a girl and get over Wendy. She fucks with him all the time. It's never Stan who breaks up with her. It's always her!"

Kyle glared at Cartman, but let him continue.

"She's a bitch. She breaks up with him and leaves him a wreck, and then after fucking around for a while, she'll take him back, as if she's the greatest, most forgiving person in the world."

Kyle considered this as he studied Cartman.

"Do you know what she did when she broke up with him during sophomore year?" Cartman growled, taking a step closer to Kyle. "She went and told her friends that she broke up with him because of YOU."

"What?" Kyle snapped.

"It's true. The stupid bitch STARTED that rumor. Remember when people were bugging you more than usual last year about being so close to Stan? That was HER."

"How do you even know it was her?"

"Because, dipshit, I heard her."

"That fight had nothing to do with me, and don't even DARE call me 'dipshit' again!"

"That fight had everything to do with you, and yet nothing at all. Don't you get it? Wendy started that rumor because she felt threatened by you. She broke up with Stan because she felt he was hanging out with you too much. Haven't you noticed? She only breaks up with Stan whenever you two start hanging out more often. She only gets back together with him when he stops. This has been the pattern since elementary school. Remember you two had that huge fight in seventh grade? Surprise, there was Wendy to swoop in. Even though you made up a few days later, Wendy stuck around, monopolizing his time. She broke up with him in the summer between seventh and eighth, which was when you both started spending more time together."

Kyle couldn't believe what he was hearing. He couldn't even dream that Cartman's motives for being an asshole the night before were actually valid; that, perhaps, he was being so cruel in order to try and protect Stan.

"No way."

"Yes, way. I think she's trying to condition Stan or something… or maybe make him choose? I have no idea. I can't believe that you haven't even noticed. I thought you were smarter than that, Kyle."

Kyle glared at him, trying to process what he was hearing. He thought about all the times that Stan broke up with Wendy, and in fact, Cartman's accusations were true. He thought about the last time Wendy started dating Stan, the beginning of that junior year, which was the time when Kyle barely saw Stan outside of class. She had now broken up with him, now that Stan and he were starting to hang out together more often.

"I-" Kyle started, staring at Cartman. "I… don't know what to say."

"Why? Because you finally get it?"

Kyle frowned. "So you were being an asshole about it because…?"

Cartman glared, crossing his arms.

But Kyle knew why Cartman had been an asshole. Kyle understood that Cartman hated showing all of his cards. He always tried to hide whatever emotions he was feeling, especially if he was feeling concern for one of his friends.

"So you were actually trying to warn Stan?"

Cartman looked away. "I never said that…" he muttered, looking uncomfortable.

"Then why are you telling me this?"

"Because you…" Cartman paused, a brief look of confusion crossing his face.

Kyle tilted his head, studying Cartman's face. He briefly wondered whether Cartman had good reasons for the evil things he had done back in elementary and early middle school, but couldn't think of any possibilities. _Maybe… he's just grown up, _he thought.

"I'm sorry."

Cartman blinked, looking at Kyle in shock.

"I'm sorry," Kyle repeated. "I… didn't know that you had good intentions, so… I'm sorry for yelling at you, and hitting you. But seriously, Cartman, you should consider telling Stan all of this."

"No way, I don't care what happens to him," Cartman grumbled.

"The hell you don't. You better explain to him your reasons for being a complete douche the other night. He's really broken up about Wendy, and you doing that only made things worse."

"He won't want to hear anything bad about Wendy. You know how he is."

"Yeah, I do. And even though he'll probably understand better if I told him, he needs to hear it from you. And you have to APOLOGIZE."

"I'm not apologizing for anything."

"Yes, you are."

Cartman glared at Kyle, but Kyle only glared back. Kyle refused to back down. A long moment passed before Cartman sighed, looking away.

"Fine."

Kyle smiled. "Good."

"So….. We're good?"

"Yeah, as long as you make things right with Stan, then… yes."

Kyle could have sworn he saw a look of relief cross Cartman's face, but the other boy turned away.

"Good," Cartman said, trying to sound casual.

"Good," Kyle echoed again, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted from his chest. He felt the tenseness that he had been holding inside wash away. He also sensed that he had seen a side of Cartman that no one else had before. The thought made him feel flattered.

Cartman cleared his throat, rocking back on his heels awkwardly. "So… uh… sorry I made you miss class."

Kyle shook his head. "It's fine, actually. I mean, my mom will KILL me if she finds out, but… she needs to chill anyway. Besides," he added playfully, "since when do you apologize to me?"

Cartman grunted. "Since you pitched a spaz."

"I only did that because you were an asshole. And you never cared before." Kyle lifted his eyebrow, grinning at the other boy.

Cartman glanced at him sheepishly before quickly looking away again. "Whatever."

Kyle snorted. "Well, thanks. For apologizing. I, uh…" Kyle struggled to find the accurate words. "Um, well… I'm glad we're not fighting anymore."

Cartman only nodded. He shoved his hands into his pockets, finally looking at Kyle again.

"So… since we're missing class anyway… want to head out?" Cartman asked.

"Where to?"

Cartman shrugged.

Kyle thought about it. The consequences for skipping school would be endless, but the urge to do something with Cartman out-weighed whatever his mom would do to him.

"Ok."

Cartman cracked the bathroom door, checking up and down the hallway. Nodding once at Kyle, he led the way out of the bathroom.

-.-.-.-.-.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: See? I wouldn't make them fight for too long. I love them too much. :D Um… so the next chapter might take a bit. Normally I've been one story ahead of you guys, but now you are all caught up. I haven't even started writing the next chapter. This is mostly due to the fact that I haven't had the urge to write in the last day or so, but hopefully this isn't some sort of writing block. I already have a slight idea of what I want to happen. I'm sorry that the story's pace is a bit slow – I decided that instead of rushing the kyman relationship I would try to slowly build it. So… yeah. But, in my opinion, it is still happening a bit fast, so that's good… ;D I plan to progress things some more after this… and I plan to be more sexual tension – which is always a good thing.


	15. Chapter 14

Hate – 14

Kyle felt both nervous and excited as he followed Cartman anxiously down the empty hallway. He noted how the other boy was completely calm and relaxed as he led the way, not even bothering to try to hide his presence. Kyle worried what would happen if they got caught, and licking his lips he walked a bit closer to Cartman. Cartman glanced back at him, and upon seeing his worried face, he snorted.

"Calm down, Jew," he said softly, bumping his elbow back against Kyle's arm. "I'm a pro at this."

"I'm not sure that's exactly a good thing," Kyle muttered.

"It is in this situation."

Cartman casually opened the back door to the school, one that Kyle had never used before. He held it open, signaling for Kyle to go through. Kyle exited the building, followed closely by Cartman. Kyle pulled his hat further down on his head from the sudden cold, but didn't think it was that bad out. He continued to follow Cartman as he led the way off of school grounds.

"Ah, freedom. I'm so sick of that joke of a school."

"So… where are we going?" Kyle felt a slight rush from skipping school. He had never done it before.

"I'm hungry… let's go to that new burger place."

"Ok."

The boys walked in silence to the restaurant. It wasn't until they were there when Kyle spoke up.

"Wait… Won't these people know we should be in school?"

"What are they going to do? Call the school to tell on us? Please, Kahl, they don't give a shit."

Cartman shook his head at him, leading the way. Kyle quickly followed him.

They got seated toward the back, so that they wouldn't be seen through the window. Kyle slid into the booth opposite of Cartman, glancing around nervously.

"Jew! Calm. We're not going to get caught. So stop worrying and figure out what you want."

Kyle glared across the table at Cartman, but picked up the menu.

After the waiter took their order and gave them their drinks, the boys fell into a lapse of silence. Kyle took this opportunity to ponder recent events. He also started thinking about Cartman. He studied the boy from across the booth. Things had changed quite dramatically since middle school. In fact, Kyle was surprised to realize that he ENJOYED Cartman's company. The fact that they were skipping school together made Kyle feel… well, he wasn't sure what he felt, but he was happy. He was spending time with Cartman, and they weren't fighting anymore. Even better, Cartman turned out to not be a complete douche.

Cartman had trimmed down in recent years, but he wasn't skinny by any means. He had developed some muscle under the weight he still carried, but it wasn't defined. Cartman took off his hat, setting it next to him on the table.

"It's warm in here."

"Huh?" Kyle blinked. "Oh, yeah, I guess."

They fell silent again, and Kyle returned to his thoughts. Cartman's hair was mouse brown like always, and he still wore it pretty short on the top of his head. It was sticking up in a few places from being shoved underneath his hat, and Kyle wanted to reach over and fix it. He decided that wasn't a good idea. Cartman's eyes were Kyle's favorite part. They were a chocolate brown. Kyle loved it when those dark eyes would look directly at him. He was always amazed at their intensity.

Kyle bit his lip as another thought came to his mind. Cartman's eyes were sexy. He felt his body turn to mush whenever he looked into them. In fact, Cartman was hot, period. He had noticed vaguely a few times before how good looking his friend had become, but after their hot dance and finding themselves tangled up in bed, Kyle was realizing that his attraction had turned into something a bit more serious. _Oh god,_ he thought bitterly, _how the hell did this happen? This is CARTMAN we're talking about…_

Suddenly, Cartman noticed that Kyle was staring at him. He frowned, looking across the table at the other boy. Kyle could feel his face heat up and he quickly looked away, hoping Cartman didn't see the blush that had taken over his entire face.

A few minutes passed by before Cartman decided to break the silence.

"So… how long have you known?"

Kyle's heart skipped a beat. What the hell was he talking about?

"What?"

"How long have you known… you know… that you're…" he lowered his voice, "gay."

Kyle blinked. "Oh… well… to be honest?" Kyle thought about it. "I suppose, looking back, it was pretty obvious. I was never really interested in girls… but… I guess I didn't really realize it myself until recently. But when I did it just… made sense. Almost as if I always knew."

"Huh."

Kyle shrugged. "I don't know. Why do you ask?"

Cartman looked a bit nervous. "It's not like I care…. It's just a little weird. Why did you say you weren't on IM that time?"

"What time?"

"The time you suggested we have a sleepover."

"Oh yeah." Kyle recalled that he had some sort of argument with Cartman about not being gay. "Well… probably because for one, I didn't want to think about it, and two, I figured you'd tease me relentlessly." Kyle shrugged. "Why is it weird?"

"Well… I don't know. I guess it makes sense, but… it's weird that… well… I don't know."

Kyle tilted his head, studying Cartman thoughtfully. "It weirds you out?"

"A bit."

"Oh." Kyle felt a little hurt, but tried not to show it.

"I guess it's not THAT weird. But…. It still is."

Kyle shook his head, looking out across the restaurant.

"Have you… done anything?"

"What do you mean?" Kyle asked, turning his attention back at Cartman. Cartman looked nervous.

"You know… with another guy."

Kyle blinked. "No… you know I'm a virgin, Cartman. Kenny makes fun of BOTH of us for that all the time."

"Yeah, but… have you kissed one?"

"No… well, technically, yes. I kissed Stan once. " Cartman looked shocked. "Well, it wasn't… sexual… or anything. I was at a party in ninth grade and we did truth or dare. One of the girls dared us to do it." Kyle shrugged. "It didn't mean anything. Stan is… ew."

Cartman snored. Kyle continued on thoughtfully.

"Actually, now that you've mentioned it, I remember that Wendy looked really, really pissed off. All the other girls said it was hot, but Wendy… she looked like she was going to kill someone."

"That's because she's insanely jealous. She probably thinks you two are boning each other, which is what the entire school thinks."

"Including you."

The larger boy shrugged.

Kyle shook his head. "Whatever. I'm tired of trying to defend my relationship with Stan to others. If the school wants to think he's fucking me," he paused for only a second to quickly add, "or vice versa, then screw them. I don't care. We only have next year, and then we're out of there."

Cartman laughed. "Please, Kahl, everyone and their mother knows that you'd be on bottom."

Kyle's face flushed. "Shut up, Cartman!" he hissed, looking away, embarrassed. He didn't want to admit that it was true.

Cartman chuckled quietly, which only made Kyle blush harder. "You didn't try to deny it."

Kyle was luckily saved by the waiter bringing their food. After thanking him, Kyle dug in quickly, hoping that the conversation was over.

"Well?"

_Fuck._

"Well, what?"

"Would you be on bottom?"

"Goddamnit Cartman, why does it matter? Besides, how would I know? I haven't slept with someone yet."

"One would think that you would know what you prefer… hypothetically."

"Why do you want to know, anyway?"

"It would confirm my suspicions that you would be the bitch in the relationship."

"I wouldn't be the bitch!" Kyle ground out, feeling his anger steadily rising. Only Cartman knew which strings to pull.

"I disagree. I think you'd be the bottom, and therefore, the bitch in the relationship."

"Screw you, Cartman."

"But Kahl, there isn't anything wrong with being the bitch. If you got married, you could wear a pretty white dress… Ouch, fucker, that hurt!"

Kyle shook his head, not apologizing for the kick against Cartman's leg. Cartman continued to whine about it for a couple of minutes before chucking a fry at him.

"Ah!"

"Take that, Jew-fag."

"Don't call me that, fatass!" Kyle tossed his own French fry, and was happy when it hit Cartman in the cheek.

"But Kaaaahl, it's truuue." Another fry went flying.

"It's the principle of the matter!" And another.

"Ah! That one hit me in the eye, you stupid Jew! I hate you…" Another.

"Right back at ya!" And another.

Both boys smiled as they continued their war. After a few minutes, they stopped, as if sharing an unspoken agreement to cease fire.

Kyle grinned over at Cartman, eating a fry. Cartman smiled slightly before rolling his eyes.

"You should take off your hat."

Kyle blinked. "Huh? Why?"

"I thought we went over this before."

Kyle studied Cartman from across the table, a blush slowly creeping across his cheeks. He swallowed, and slowly took off his hat, setting it down on the table next to him.

They continued to eat in silence. Kyle tried to control his blush, secretly cursing himself. _Why the fuck do I keep blushing? _

-.-.-.-.-.

After they finished their food and paid, Cartman and Kyle slowly started making their way back to school. Kyle dreaded going back there, simply because he would have to face his mother afterwards, which was no picnic. He would probably be grounded for at least a week, but probably more.

Cartman must have noticed the look on Kyle's face, because he asked, "What's the matter?"

"Huh? Oh… just thinking about how much my mom is going to freak about this when she finds out."

Cartman snorted. "Yeah… the school will probably call her after school today, if they haven't already."

Kyle felt the color drain from his face just thinking about it. "I'm so screwed."

"Maybe there is some way we can get out of them telling your mom."

"We'd have to have a decent excuse for missing class…"

"Well, maybe you could use your influence."

"What do you mean?"

"God Kahl, why are you so dense? You're the top student in our class. You've never skipped before. You're every teacher's pet. Let me think about what kind of influence you may have."

Kyle shot Cartman a glare, but it faded quickly as Kyle thought about something. "Cartman… I think I have an idea."


	16. Chapter 15

Hate – 15

"Principal Diggs? Can we speak with you for a moment?" Kyle poked his head into the principal's office, trying to look apologetic.

"Kyle! Of course you may. What can I help you with?"

Kyle led the way into the office, pulling a guilty-looking Cartman with him. He quickly shut the door behind them, took off his hat, and fidgeted with it a bit in his hands.

"Well… I didn't make it to class today after second period… I just got back now. It turns out that Eric has been having problems with bullying lately." Kyle thought briefly about how weird it was to use Cartman's first name.

"It's been pretty bad," Cartman continued. "Today a bunch of seniors cornered me in the hallway. They called me a fatty and pushed me around…" His voice cracked, and he sniffed for effect.

"After our class together during second period, I saw him go outside. When I saw how upset he was, I didn't want to leave him. That's how we ended up missing a couple of classes today."

"Kahl was with me the whole time… I was pretty upset. He calmed me down, and he convinced me to come back to school today."

"I see," she said, looking from one boy to the next. Kyle noted with satisfaction that she had a sympathetic look on her face.

"We're both really sorry," Kyle continued.

"Ma'am, I think that Kahl shouldn't get into trouble," Cartman added. "It was completely my fault that he missed class. I should be the only one getting punished."

"I don't mind if I get punished for missing class. I take full responsibility."

"But Kahl, you're mom is going to kill you."

"Yeah, she can get really mad at times."

"Mad?" she asked. _Hook, line, and sinker._

"Yeah… I mean, it's really important to her that I get good grades, so when she thinks I'm not doing enough in school… well… she gets upset."

"Upset is an understatement, Kahl. She can get really scary!"

The principal looked horrified. "But surely she would think this was for a good reason?"

"Well, my mom doesn't really like Eric. She thinks he's a bad influence on me. In fact, she forbids me to see him. So if she found out that it was him who I was helping, she'd just immediately think we were skipping school for fun – which we weren't. I was just really concerned…"

"Please, Principal Diggs, could you just not tell Kahl's mother? I don't want something to happen to him."

"I promise to never do it again!"

The principal looked from one boy to the other. "Well, I suppose I could refrain from telling your mother about this… especially since you've never missed class before. It seems like you were doing the right thing for your friend in this situation."

"Thank you," Kyle smiled. "Will you be punishing Eric? He was just having a hard time, and he DID come back to school with me today."

"That's true," she considered. "How about you both go to your last class and we'll call it even?"

"Wow, thanks Principal Diggs!" Cartman drawled, and Kyle could practically feel the giddiness radiating off of him. "We promise to never to it agaaain."

"Thank you so much," Kyle added, backing out of the office with Cartman.

"Have a good day, ma'am," Cartman said before closing the door behind him.

After both boys got some distance between themselves and the principal's office, they turned and grinned at each other.

"That. Was. Awwwesome," Cartman said.

"Epically!"

They bumped their fists together in victory.

"She totally fell for it."

"I didn't think it would work as well as it did," Kyle confessed.

"We make a pretty good team."

Kyle laughed. "Yeah, we do, actually."

"Just think, Jew, if we decided to try to take over the world together… we'd be able to do it."

"In your dreams, Fatass," Kyle rolled his eyes, a smile still on his face. "We'd end up killing each other. It would never work."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Cartman laughed. "But think about what we could do if we worked together!"

Kyle shook his head, amused. "The possibilities are endless." He pulled his hat back on over his head.

Cartman shook his head. "Why the hell do you insist on wearing that stupid thing?"

"I don't know. I'm gotten used to it," Kyle defended. "Besides, I hate my hair." He started walking down the hallway again.

"Why do you hate it?"

"Gee, I wonder. It's curly, for one… and it never goes where you want it to go. It just looks like a mess all the time. It's flaming red, like my mom's… Need I go on?"

"I already told you that it isn't that bad."

"Whatever. I think it's just better to cover it up."

"I don't think so."

Kyle laughed a bit. "Why do you even care?"

"I don't. But like I said before, that hat is ugly as shit and you'll never get laid wearing it."

"You think I'll get laid if I don't?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that, day walker, but your chances are higher without the damn thing."

"I like it," Kyle protested.

"You told me that you like not wearing it."

"When did I say that?"

"That night you got totally wasted and crashed at my place. You threw it off after I told you to, and said something to that effect."

"I don't remember that."

"I'm sure there is a lot that you don't remember."

"I don't remember even walking back to your place… but I think I was singing something."

Cartman chuckled. "Yeah. You were acting like an idiot. I'm surprised no one woke up and looked out their windows. You would have been busted."

"It's weird how I can't remember such large chunks of time. It was as if I suddenly transported from the party to your house in under two seconds. It's kind of cool."

"Do you remember being there at all?"

Although the question was innocent, Kyle felt it was a loaded one. "I… maybe. Kind of." He fell silent.

"You climbed into my bed and hit on me?"

"I wasn't hitting on you! I… don't think…"

"Haha, you totally did."

Kyle wondered if it was possible to feel more embarrassed than he did that second. His face lit up in a bright blush. But after seeing Cartman's smug look, he argued boldly, "You didn't push me away. I DO remember that."

"I didn't want to hurt your Jew feelings."

"Whatever. If I remember correctly, you were flirting with me too."

"No, I wasn't."

"Well… I…" Kyle thought quickly, "I DO remember us dancing."

Cartman was quiet for a moment. "That was mostly you. 'I didn't say I wanted you to stop'? Yeah, you were totally hitting on me, Kahl."

Kyle's face felt on fire. He could come up with no reply.

Cartman snorted. "Although," he continued. "I think I know what you mean."

"A-about what?"

"That it's kind of flattering."

Kyle processed this information. He had been IMing with Cartman when he had admitted that Kenny's advances were flattering. What was Cartman saying? Kyle felt a brief bout of bravery. He smirked as he said, "You LIKE it."

Cartman looked slightly flustered. "I never said that."

"You like it, I can tell."

Cartman snorted, looking away. He tried to look nonchalant, but Kyle saw right threw the act. "I'm not gay."

"Well, I'm just that good of a dancer, then. My next class is this way…" Kyle gestured down a different hallway, quickly ending the conversation before Cartman could respond. It didn't look like the other boy would have been able to reply anyway, judging by the look on his face. "Don't forget to apologize to Stan!" he added, walking toward his next class.

Cartman rolled his eyes, his face looking a bit pink. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't get your panties rolled into a bunch. I'll talk to him after school today," he answered gruffly.

"Good. See you later."

Kyle sped up down the hallway, his heart going a mile a minute. Although he knew it should feel wrong, the conversation had left him feeling a similar rush to when they skipped school. Kyle wasn't too sure of much, but he was pretty damn sure that it would be hard to concentrate during his next two classes.


	17. Chapter 16

Hate – 16

Every time Kyle saw Cartman after that incident, his insides would twist and his heart would start beating faster. Sitting next to the boy in Ms. Miner's class the next couple of days was a challenge, but lunch was worse by far. On Thursday and Friday, Kyle somehow managed to make it through both situations without incident. At first he thought Cartman would be put off by his flirting on Wednesday, but the other boy didn't seem to be acting much different towards Kyle. Then again, Kyle wasn't sure what would happen when they got a moment alone.

On Friday after school, Kyle made a stop at his locker to sort through his books, throwing the ones he didn't need over the weekend back inside. Kenny suddenly appeared, running up to Kyle quickly.

"You'll never guess what's happening," he said enthusiastically.

"What?" Kyle frowned at a book before shoving it in his backpack.

"You haven't heard, have you?"

Kyle sighed patiently. "I don't know… probably not." He looked over his books one more time, making sure he had all that he needed.

"About Cartman?"

Kyle's interest perked. "What about him?" He closed his locker and turned his complete attention on Kenny.

"He got into a fight!"

"What."

"Guess who with?"

"It better not be Stan. I thought they talked."

"No, not Stan. With Clyde."

"Clyde?"

"Yeah, apparently he was making some accusations about Cartman, and he totally let him have it."

Kyle groaned. "Where is he now?"

Kenny pointed, and Kyle started heading in that direction. "They're outside in front of the school. I ran to get you when the first couple of swings were thrown. I'm not sure if the teachers have found out yet or not."

Kyle silently cursed Cartman's stupidity, running toward the front entrance of the school. "What kind of accusations?"

"About you and him."

Kyle looked quickly at Kenny, and then shook his head, running a bit faster. He threw open the front doors, and immediately spotted the circle of high school students cheering on the fight.

"Go tell one of the teachers, Ken. I'll try to break them up."

"Right, like you'll be able to stop either of them."

"Well, we have to stop this as quickly as possible. Clyde is stronger, maybe, but if Cartman gets the upper hand, he'll kill him."

Kyle hurriedly jogged up to the circle, pushing his way through the crowd. Just as Kenny said, there was Clyde and Cartman, both looking pretty ruffed up and circling each other menacingly. Kyle gritted his teeth, moving forward and getting in between them.

"Ok, guys, the teachers are on their way, so stop this before someone gets in deep shit."

"Move out of the way, Kyle," Clyde warned threateningly.

"No. Do you want to be suspended from school? Back down!"

"Kyle, seriously," Cartman warned from behind him. "Get out of the fucking way. This is between me and him."

"Yeah, that's nice," Kyle commented. "Back. The fuck. Down." Kyle glared straight at Clyde, and the other boy glared right back. For a moment, Kyle thought that Clyde was going to pull Kyle into the fight, but luckily, Butters saved the day.

He came running out of the high school, shouting, "The principal is coming!"

The crowd quickly started to disperse. Clyde shot Kyle another angry look before leaving with them.

Kyle watched him go for another minute, turned on his heel, and stormed up to Cartman. "What the fuck Cartman! You could get suspended for fighting!" he hissed. He swallowed his anger, though, when he saw the pissed off look Cartman had on his face. "Are you hurt?" he asked, looking at the split lip and black eye that Cartman was sporting.

"I'm fine you stupid, good for nothing Jew rat," he spat, shoving him away roughly.

"What the fuck Cartman?"

"I can handle myself, thank you very much. I don't need your big kike nose getting into my business. I had it under control." The front doors of the school opened up and out came the principal, looking around and spotting them. She started to head over.

"You could have gotten into trouble."

"Well I didn't need your help! So fuck off."

Kyle gaped at Cartman. He looked really ticked off. He hadn't seen Cartman this mad since… well, Kyle couldn't remember the last time. Cartman's face was red hot in fury, and his eyes were hard. Kyle swallowed, knowing how dangerous and stupid Cartman could be during this time.

"What is going on here, boys?" the principal asked, coming up from behind them.

Kyle studied Cartman for a moment, not answering right away. He wasn't sure if Cartman would go along with it, but he had to do something. Even if Cartman accused him of getting into his business again, it was worth a shot. He gave him a hard look of his own before turning on his heel and facing the principal.

"I don't know, Mrs. Diggs… I heard some commotion outside, but when I got here, there was no one here but Eric. Maybe it was the bullies again?" Kyle silently cursed himself for being able to lie so easily. He blamed his mom.

"Well, let's get Eric to the nurse's office, and he can tell us exactly what happened later." She led Cartman back into the school, Kyle following closely behind.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Go away, Kyle."

"No." Kyle wandered around the nurse's office, picking up random items and then putting them back down again. The nurse had diligently taken care of Cartman's lip, and gave him a cold pack to put on his black eye. She also bandaged up a scrape that Cartman had on one of his knees. Now the mildly injured boy was sitting on the bed, glaring angrily at Kyle as he wandered around the room.

The nurse had let them be. Kyle wasn't sure where she was, or when she'd be back. However, Kyle was determined to stay with Cartman and find out what the hell happened.

"Kyle, I'm seriously."

"Well, I'm seriously too. I'm not going," Kyle said firmly, opening up a drawer and poking through the band aid collection. Kyle knew it was dangerous to interact with Cartman when he was this angry, especially since Kyle could make the other boy blow up at any minute. They always had that effect on each other.

Cartman growled. Kyle ignored him, letting him fume silently by himself on the opposite side of the room. Kyle let a few minutes go by before he turned around to face him.

"So what was that fight about?"

"Fuck off."

Kyle sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. "Kenny said it was about me."

"It wasn't. He's a fucking liar."

"I'm sure he is. Cartman, talk to me." He slowly approached the bed.

"I told you to go away, you fucking fag!" Cartman spat angrily.

Kyle paused, letting Cartman's hurtful words sink in briefly before pushing them away. "I'm not going, Cartman."

"Goddamn stupid kike, you're so fucking stupid."

Kyle felt his patience waning, which probably wasn't a good thing. "Fuck you, Fatass. I'm only trying to help."

"Well, you're not. Just like always, you manage to make things worse. Just leave."

"No."

"Do it!"

"NO."

"You shouldn't have interfered."

"Well what would you have done if Principal Diggs came up and saw you two dumbasses fighting? Huh?"

"At least Clyde would have gotten into trouble too."

"Who threw the first punch, Cartman?"

Cartman didn't respond.

"That's what I thought. You'd get into more trouble because you started it, Fatass. Don't try to deny it. It's better if we blame it on unnamed bullies, because then you won't get suspended." Kyle studied the dark look on Cartman's face. "Look, I'd like to have Clyde get in trouble too, but there isn't anything we can do about it right now."

Cartman continued to be silent.

He pulled up a chair and positioned it next to the bed, sitting down heavily.

"Cartman…" Silence. "Cartman, come on." No answer. Kyle sighed in frustration. He hated it when Cartman acted like this. "What the fuck, Cartman. Talk to me."

Suddenly, Cartman lunged forward, grabbing the front of Kyle's coat and tugging him toward him. He glared into Kyle's face angrily.

"I told you to go fuck off."

In the past, Kyle would have probably felt livid, and a little scared, at Cartman's actions. But as Kyle looked into Cartman's face, he knew that he wouldn't hurt him.

"Cartman…" Kyle said softly, trying not to get mad. "I know I'm pissing you off. It would piss me off too if you were doing the same to me. However…"

"You're a nosy little Jew rat?" Cartman finished for him.

"… I only want to help. You're… my friend."

"Well," Cartman said, letting go of Kyle. "I don't want to talk about it."

Kyle studied him. For once, Kyle told himself to be patient and to let things go. "Ok, then we won't."

Cartman looked at him suspiciously. Kyle took a deep breath.

"We won't," he repeated. Cartman eyed him for a couple more moments before looking away.

Kyle sighed, falling into silence. Kyle wanted to know more than anything what the hell Clyde said to Cartman that made him so mad, but he knew that he would probably find out eventually. Right now, he just had to keep Cartman calm.

Cartman shifted the cold pack uncomfortably. Kyle glanced at him.

"Does it hurt?" he asked softly.

"Not that bad," Cartman muttered.

"Here…" Kyle scooted off of the chair and gently sat down on the edge of the bed, making sure he wasn't touching the other boy at all. "Give it to me," he suggested, holding out his hand for the cold pack.

Cartman stared at him, his face unreadable. After silently debating, he handed it over.

Kyle rewrapped it up in the towel, and then leaned in a bit. He gently placed it over Cartman's right eye.

"That Ok?"

Cartman grunted a response, his cheeks looking a bit pink as he avoided his gaze. Neither boy said anything as they sat in the darkening room, both lost in their own private thoughts.

-.-.-.-.-.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I posted two chapters up tonight to make up for the fact that tomorrow night I won't be able to do an upload. I'm thinking my next post will be Sunday night. I hope people aren't getting tired of this story… I know that I keep teasing and seemingly not getting anyway, but… I swear eventually I'll get there!


	18. Chapter 17

Hate – 17

"I was going to win, you know. You didn't have to stop the fight."

"I told you already, I didn't want you to get suspended, that's all."

"Clyde's an asshole." He paused. "AND a pussy."

"Tell me something I didn't know." Kyle's phone suddenly vibrated in his back pocket, and he quietly cursed. "Shit… that's probably my mom. Oh, fuck, it is…" he grimaced, looking at the phone.

Cartman had calmed down considerably since the incident, and after spending about a half hour in the nurse's office, the nurse finally released Cartman. They had just started walking home together.

Kyle didn't want to answer the phone, but he knew he had to. It was his own fault for not calling his mom sooner.

"Hi, mom. No… I'm sorry, I-. Well, yeah, I know… I-… mom… Mom, let me expl-… Uh-huh, I'm walking home now. Probably fifteen minutes? Yeah… I… " Kyle blinked, pulling the phone away from him and looking at it with a slightly shocked expression. "She hung up on me."

"God your mom is a bitch."

"Yeah…" Kyle frowned as he pocketed his phone again. "Sometimes she can be so nice, but other times she can be really unreasonable."

"Unreasonable is an understatement."

Kyle sighed. "True."

"You shouldn't have stayed."

"What I should have done was call her. She wouldn't care as much if I had told her I'd be late."

Cartman grunted, obviously still sore from Kyle's refusal to listen to him earlier.

"Hopefully she won't ground me over something so stupid. I'll only be about forty five minutes late… "

"You better not get grounded. We're supposed to all hang out tomorrow."

"Where are we doing that, anyway? Have we talked about it?"

"Nope."

"Hm. Hopefully the guys are online tonight and we can discuss it. Otherwise I'll just text everyone."

"I'm sure there is some sort of party going on tonight."

"Oh… I forgot that the parties are practically every week."

"That's because you never go."

"Hey, I've gone to two in the last two weeks. This will be the first time I won't be going."

"We can do the sleepover at my place again," Cartman suggested, changing the subject back.

"That's probably best. I mean, my house isn't the greatest, and Ken's is out of the question. And we went to Stan's last time."

"Until you kicked me out."

"You were being an asshole. Are you coming online tonight?"

"If I have nothing better to do."

Kyle rolled his eyes but didn't comment.

They chatted idly as they made their way down the street. Finally, it was time for them to part ways. They each casually said "bye," and as Kyle watched Cartman walk toward his own house, Kyle hoped that he would be online that night. He also hoped that whatever they had before hadn't just broken.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle was putting the finishing touches on a paper that was due next week when a popup flashed on his screen, telling him that Cartman had come on. He tried to hold back his excitement.

_Kyle: You came on!_

_Cartman: Yeah. I decided not to go out tonight. I didn't feel like talking about the fight today, and you know that people won't be able to drop it._

_Kyle: True._

_Cartman: You should come over._

Kyle's stomach churned pleasantly.

_Kyle: I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask. Let me check, brb._

Kyle sprung up from his bed, running down the stairs. His family was sitting together on the couch, watching the nine o'clock news.

"Hey mom, dad? Stan was wondering if I could come over. I already finished all of my homework, and my next paper."

"I suppose that would be ok," his mother answered. "When will you be back?"

"Um… I think I'll be spending the night, so I'll be back in the morning," he answered, already bounding up the stairs. He quickly sat back at his desk to tell Cartman the good news.

_Kyle: K, I can. Am I staying?_

_Cartman: Well, of course you stupid Jew._

_Kyle: Ok, I'll be there in a few._

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle knocked loudly on the door, bouncing from one foot to the other. He was surprised when Liane opened the door.

"Ok, Kyle, how nice to see you," she pleasantly greeted.

"Hi."

"Come on in. Eric is upstairs. I'll be out, so you two will have the whole house to yourselves. Have fun!"

Kyle watched her as she left. He then shrugged, heading up the stairs to Cartman's room. He opened it without knocking, stepping in.

"Don't Jews know how to knock?" Cartman quipped from his desk.

"Nope." Kyle flopped onto Cartman's bed.

"Did my mom let you in?"

"Yeah, but she left right away." Kyle stared absentmindedly at the ceiling.

"Did you tell the others about tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I texted both of them. They'll be here."

"Good. So I guess you were able to calm the bitch down."

"I did. She was pretty angry at first, but eventually I was able to convince her that it was for a good cause."

"You told her about my fight?"

"Not really. I told her that you had gotten hurt, so I stayed after school with you."

"How did she take that?"

"Well, she wasn't extremely happy that it was you, but she stopped bothering me about not calling. I just promised to do so next time."

Cartman snorted. "You need to get some balls."

"It's just easier to play along."

"Want to play the Xbox?"

"Sure."

-.-.-.-.-.

The night was rather uneventful. They had bickered angrily while they played various fighting games, but Kyle enjoyed their arguments. They were never that serious, and although they acted mad, both knew that the other wasn't.

They made their way upstairs to go to bed around twelve thirty, both boys exhausted from the hectic day. Kyle crawled in on his side of the bed, snuggling deep into the covers. Cartman turned off the light, joining him.

Kyle couldn't fall asleep. He was worried about snuggling against Cartman in his sleep. He wished there was some way to prevent any embarrassing mishaps, but he knew logically that was impossible. Besides, in a way he secretly hoped for another chance to cuddle up against the boy.

"Jew? You awake?" Cartman whispered, breaking into Kyle's thoughts. Apparently Cartman couldn't sleep either.

Kyle blinked. "Yeah," he whispered back.

"You really pissed me off today."

Kyle caught his breath. "Yeah, I know."

Cartman took a moment before continuing.

"He called you a fag," he said softly, barely audible.

Kyle rolled onto his back, looking up at the dark ceiling. "But you always call me that." Kyle kept his voice low, matching Cartman's in volume. He wasn't really sure why.

"It's different when he does it."

"How?"

"You know how."

Kyle didn't respond. He played absentmindedly with the covers.

"I… got mad at him. He then…" Cartman fell silent. Kyle said nothing, waiting for Cartman to continue at his own pace. "He then called us both faggots, accusing us of…" He trailed off.

"So you hit him?" Kyle asked gently when Cartman didn't continue.

"Yeah."

A few minutes went by as both boys became lost in their own thoughts. Kyle's mind was reeling. He wasn't really sure how to take Cartman's actions. He had defended Kyle, which spoke millions of their barely acknowledged friendship. For this, Kyle was extremely flattered. However, he wasn't sure how to take Cartman's reaction to Clyde suggesting that they were something more. _Was he angry that he got called gay because he isn't, or was he angry that he was called gay and he IS? But more importantly, was he mad because Clyde suggested that he was gay with ME? _A million of questions flew through Kyle's head, making him wonder where he stood with the other boy. _There definitely has been something going on between us lately. That wasn't just all in my head, was it? Does this mean he feels awkward around me now? _

Kyle couldn't stand the silence any longer. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For… well… that he thought that you were gay because you've been hanging around me."

"It's not like he has any proof that you're actually gay, Kyle. Besides, it's not your fault. Clyde's a fucking cunt."

Kyle paused. "Do… you feel weird now? … Around me?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly.

The heavy silence seemed to last forever, but in reality it was only for a few seconds. Kyle's heart was pounding out of fear of being rejected, his palms sweaty from nervousness. He wasn't expecting the answer that Cartman provided.

"Are you fucking retarded?"

"W-what?"

"I don't feel weird, you stupid Jew, for fucks sake."

"… O-oh…" Kyle was relieved. "W-well, I just know that it kind of weirds you out that I'm gay…"

Cartman sighed. "It's just… taking a while to get used to. I invited you over, didn't I?"

Kyle smiled into the darkness. "Yeah, you did." He paused. "Thanks for defending me today."

Cartman grunted, obviously getting uneasy with the length of serious conversation. "Thanks for sticking around, even though it totally pissed me off. And," he continued, his voice falling out of the whisper, "you could have gotten killed, Jew. Clyde was about to rip your balls off."

Kyle glanced over at Cartman. "I knew you wouldn't let that happen."

The other boy shifted uncomfortably. "I wouldn't have," he replied, his voice unusually deep.

"I know," he whispered, gently bumping his arm with his own.

"We should do this every week," Cartman suggested suddenly.

"I'd love that," Kyle responded immediately.

"G-good." Cartman quickly rolled onto his side, facing away from Kyle. Kyle smiled, knowing that the conversation that they just had was probably the most difficult thing Cartman had to do in a long time. They never talked about their feelings. Kyle felt rather uplifted. He promptly rolled back onto his side, facing away from Cartman. He slept easily that night.


	19. Chapter 18

Hate – 18

When Kyle woke up the next morning, he found himself curled up into a tight ball, facing away from Cartman. The covers felt nice, but he was a bit chilled. He carefully rolled over, taking care not to wake the other boy. He watched Cartman for a moment, studying every detail of his sleeping face. _He's beautiful._

Kyle closed his eyes, holding back a groan. He didn't want to be attracted to Cartman. In fact, he hadn't wanted any of this. They had grown up enemies. They were never supposed to be friends. But no matter how much Kyle didn't want it, those feelings were there. And no matter how much Kyle wanted to deny it, he wouldn't want it any other way. He loved flirting between the lines of friendship and something a little bit more. He wanted to make Cartman blush, and he wanted Cartman to make HIM blush. He loved the butterflies that appeared in his stomach when Cartman was near. He needed Cartman in his life. Without him, things were dull, boring, and empty.

It wasn't as if the attraction was completely new, either. In the first two years of high school, when they would only hang out with Cartman once in a while, Kyle found himself missing his fights with Cartman. Kyle would have denied it if anyone had asked, but he would occasionally find himself staring at Cartman from across the lunch room, admiring him as he became taller and thinner. Granted, the other boy still carried some extra weight, but he had grown into it nicely.

Kyle shivered, curling up tighter.

"Cold?"

Kyle jumped, even though Cartman had said it quietly. Kyle's eyes flew open to find Cartman's staring back at him.

"Y-you're awake..." he croaked. "Shit, you scared me."

"Yeah, I've been trying to fall back asleep."

"Fuck."

"You're shivering."

"I'm a little cold, yeah…"

Cartman stared at him. Kyle blinked; he looked back at him with a small frown of confusion, unable to read the look that he was giving him.

"Come here."

"W-wha?" He wasn't expecting that.

"Come here." Cartman shifted a bit, motioning to Kyle that he should come closer.

Kyle swallowed, scooting nearer to Cartman. Cartman sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not going to bite, Jew," he muttered, pulling Kyle a bit closer. "There."

Although they weren't touching, Kyle was lying right next to Cartman. They were facing each other, lying on their sides. Kyle's face felt on fire, and his stomach twisted pleasantly. It surprised Kyle how warm the other boy was. Even without touching, the heat seemed to radiate off the other boy.

"Y-your warm," he stuttered softly.

"If you weren't so skinny, you'd be warmer too," Cartman grunted.

Despite how nervous he was, and despite the embarrassment, Kyle shifted slightly closer. Cartman didn't complain, so he took this as a good sign. He gently bumped Cartman's leg with his own, and left it there, resting against it. He swallowed and peeked up at Cartman. The other was studying him carefully.

"W-what?" Kyle asked somewhat defensively, annoyed that he kept stuttering.

Cartman shrugged. "I don't know. Just wondering why you're so embarrassed."

Kyle felt like he was about to die. "I-I'm not embarrassed."

"Yeah, you are."

"Well, it's… it's not like we've… we… This…" he sputtered, feeling his face grow even redder. His body tensed, prepared to pull away, but Cartman lightly put his hand on Kyle's arm, somehow knowing it was what he was about to do. Kyle blinked, surprised.

"Jesus Christ, Jew," Cartman said. "Calm. Don't you do this with Stan, anyway?"

Kyle thought about it. Certainly, he had cuddled Stan in the past, and often woke up curled around him. However, those moments weren't at all embarrassing. He didn't feel that way at all toward Stan.

"This… is different. This is us," Kyle pointed out, looking away.

Cartman paused. "Is… it bad?"

Kyle took a moment to answer. "…No."

"Good."

They both fell silent. Kyle listened to his heart pounding loudly in his chest. He idly hoped Cartman couldn't hear it, because it seemed deafening to him. He also found it difficult to breathe. Cartman removed his hand from his arm, resting it on the bed between the two of them. Kyle's skin missed the added warmth, but he didn't complain.

"You, like, radiate heat. It's kind of funny," Kyle commented absentmindedly.

Cartman snorted. "Well, I'm glad I can be of service."

Kyle smiled. "It's good to know you're good for something," he joked.

"More than you're good for. It's like you're sucking the heat right out of me."

"I guess that's just the Jew in me. Take, take, take."

"Tell me about it."

Kyle held back a laugh. "Fuck you."

"In your dreams."

"In YOURS."

They locked eyes. Kyle had a small smile playing on his lips, his eyes lit up in amusement. Cartman was smirking slightly back, the same pleased look in his eyes. Both smiles faded as they continued to stare into each other's eyes. Kyle found himself unable to look away, holding his breath.

"Stupid Jew," Cartman muttered fondly.

Kyle's cheeks turned a light shade of pink, and he looked down, embarrassed. "Screw you, Fatass," he mumbled.

"Hm," Cartman mused, rolling onto his back. Kyle blinked, briefly disappointed, but realized that the other boy hadn't moved further away. Cartman settled his leg to rest against Kyle's again. "Do you want to hang out today?"

"I told my mom I'd be back sometime this morning. I could ask her, though, if it's ok. Not sure if it will be, though, since I'll be gone tonight as well."

"If you don't want to, just say so." _Why does he sound so hurt?_ Kyle wondered briefly.

"I want to."

Cartman glanced down at him, and Kyle looked at him sincerely. "I want to," he repeated. Cartman seemed satisfied with this, looking back up at the ceiling.

Kyle playfully kicked Cartman with his foot. Cartman growled, nudging him with his knee. Kyle nudged him back.

"Stop it, Kaaahl," Cartman whined as he nudged him a bit harder with his knee.

Kyle kicked him again before quickly pulling away. He spotted his jeans next to the bed, and he reached down to grab them, ignoring Cartman's complaints about abusive Jews. He grabbed his phone from the front pocket. He scooted back close to Cartman, glancing at him as he pressed the speed dial.

-.-.-.-.-.

"You didn't have to eat all of my fries, Cartman."

"Well, excuse me. You weren't eating them fast enough and they were getting cold."

"I was going to eat them. And they weren't cold. You're such a fucking jerk."

"Oh, I'm a jerk. Nice insult. What are you, five?"

"Fuck off."

Cartman and Kyle had chosen to get lunch at the same burger place they had eaten at on Wednesday. They had just gotten out of the doors and started heading down the street when they ran into none other than Clyde. He wasn't alone. He had a group of his friends with him, and it looked like they were heading to the same restaurant the boys had just eaten at. There was a brief pause as the three boys got over the initial shock of running into the other.

"Oh, shit, did we just interrupt your date?" Clyde recovered first.

Kyle could sense Cartman's anger without even having to look at the other boy. His hand quickly shot out, grabbing onto Cartman's arm. "He's not worth our time. Come on, Cartman."

"Oh, going to get saved by your boyfriend again, huh, Eric?"

Cartman snarled, brushing Kyle's hand off easily as he advanced on Clyde. Clyde's friends looked nervous, backing off just slightly. Kyle quickly ran in front of Cartman.

"Cartman," he said, putting his hand on his chest to stop him. "Fuck him."

Cartman looked at Kyle, glaring. Kyle met his gaze easily.

"It's not worth it," he repeated. "He just wants this. Let's just go."

Cartman took a deep breath before nodding. He shot another death glare at Clyde before marching off, leading the way for both him and Kyle. Kyle quickly fell into step behind him.

"Running away? And I always thought Kyle would be the bitch in the relationship."

Kyle stopped walking. He could feel the anger rise in his body.

"Or do you two take turns pounding the other up the ass?"

Kyle promptly turned on his heel, walking boldly up to Clyde. He stopped directly in front of him. Clyde laughed, not feeling threatened at all.

Suddenly, Kyle pulled back his fist and slammed it as hard as he could into Clyde's jaw. The rude boy cried out in pain, and caught off guard, he fell to the ground. Kyle spit on him, his blood boiling as the anger burst forth.

"If you got into a fight with Cartman, Clyde, you'd get your ass handed to you, you fucking asshole. Oh, and stop fantasizing about Cartman and me – it's fucking disturbing and probably isn't healthy to be jerking off to that all the time." Kyle kicked Clyde in the nuts, satisfied when he cried out in pain. "That should help you stop acting like a bitch in heat, fucker." He kicked at him again, this time hitting him in the side. He went to kick him again, but Cartman grabbed onto his arm, pulling him away. He stumbled a bit, but found his footing right away since Cartman helped hold him up.

"Come on," Cartman said, pulling Kyle further away. Kyle watched as Clyde's posse quickly bent down to help their friend. Kyle realized his breathing was labored and his ears were ringing, so he tried to slow his breath and calm down. He let Cartman continue to lead him by the arm down the street. Neither boy said anything until they were a couple of blocks away.

Cartman stopped and turned around to face him, studying him. "So what was that?"

Kyle shrugged, cheeks still a bit pink from anger. "He pissed me off, and he fucking deserved it."

Cartman smirked. "Kahl?"

"What?" Kyle asked, a bit defensive. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"That was the coolest thing you've ever done."

Kyle blinked. "R-really?"

Cartman laughed. "Yeah! It's was fucking awesome!" He broke into a fit of laughter, unable to stop.

Kyle kept blinking, but then smiled. He then, too, started to laugh. "I don't think he expected that at all from me."

"No!" Cartman gasped, "No, he didn't, and neither did I!"

They both stood there, laughing hysterically as passersby glanced strangely in their direction.

"He was about to piss in his pants!" Kyle wheezed.

"I don't think he'll be able to use his dick for anything for the next few weeks!"

"I almost feel bad…"

"Don't, he totally deserved that."

Their laughing fit slowly calmed down.

"God, I was so mad…"

"Yeah, you were. I thought you were going to kill him."

"I probably would have if you hadn't stopped me."

"Kahl, what you did back there?"

"Yeah?"

"That was totally hot."

Kyle made a strangled choking sound, startled. "Y-you think?"

"Yeah." Cartman shook his head, still chuckling. "For seriously." Kyle's cheeks flushed. "That was so fucking funny!"

"I haven't been that mad in a long time," he confessed thoughtfully.

As they started to walk back to Cartman's, Kyle couldn't help but feel that he had a chance with Cartman. The other boy obviously enjoyed spending time with him, and he had on more than one occasion signaled his interest. However, he had also stressed that he wasn't gay. Kyle wondered which side of the fence his friend would fall on. He pushed these thoughts out of his head, however. This wasn't the time to be thinking about it, and besides, Cartman was asking him how good it felt to hit Clyde so hard.

"Fucking amazing," he grinned.

They wandered back to Cartman's place, laughing about the incident the entire way.

-.-.-.-.-.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey all! So… this story is actually going to be wrapping up in the next few chapters… I'm writing the ending now. Don't worry, the explicit scene will come! ;) It's my first scene like that, so please be kind, and forgive me. Lol. I'm hoping to not rush the ending too much… and I hope that explicit stuff can be put here, because… um… yeah.


	20. Chapter 19

Hate – 19

Kyle felt obsessed. I seemed that he couldn't even go five minutes without thinking about Cartman. And although he saw the other boy all the time, it still wasn't enough. After all these years, Kyle finally understood Stan's infatuation with Wendy. He had wrote it off as something that could never possibly happen to him, yet here he was, counting down the minutes until the bell rang so that he could hang out with Cartman.

Saturday's sleepover, although fun, was uneventful. Kyle had been tortured, because although he enjoyed hanging out with Stan and Kenny, all he wanted to do was spend some alone time with Cartman. He didn't really understand these feelings, since he had spent the entire day with him. Sunday felt like it would never end. Finally, night came, and he went online. Cartman had been there waiting, and they chatted for hours, mostly about nothing. On Tuesday, Cartman followed Kyle to the library, where not much studying had been done. Wednesday, they walked home together; Thursday, the same.

It was now Friday. Kyle played with his pen, anxiously glancing at the clock every thirty seconds. The last ten minutes slid by the slowest. Finally, the bell rang, and Kyle jumped out of his seat faster than anyone, and was the first out of the door. He practically ran to his locker, throwing his books unceremoniously inside before slamming it shut. He then headed to Cartman's locker, where the other boy was waiting for him.

"Took you long enough, Jew."

"Shut up, I didn't take that long."

They headed out, bickering casually back and forth as they started their walk back to Cartman's place.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle booted up the Xbox as Cartman rummaged around in the kitchen.

"Hurry up, Fatass, or I'm starting without you!" he called, grabbing the controllers and plopping down on the couch.

"Goddamnit Kahl, why do you have to be such a Jew?"

Kyle smiled.

"It's loading! You're running out of time!"

"Seriously Kahl, it's MY Xbox!"

Cartman hurried out of the kitchen, holding two beers in his hands. He put them on the coffee table, quickly snatching the extra controller out of Kyle's hands. He sat down next to Kyle, grumbling.

Kyle raised his eyebrow. "Trying to get me drunk?"

"Just drink."

-.-.-.-.-.

"You stupid cock sucker!"

"Eat it and weep, Fatass. You're getting your ass kicked, straight boy."

"Fuck you, Kahl."

"Only if you ask me nicely."

Cartman sputtered, obviously not expecting THAT answer. Kyle grinned, quickly pounding the buttons to make his Asian chick chop Cartman's heavily muscled character's head off.

"I win again!"

"I hate this game!"

"Whatever, you only hate it because you're losing."

"Stupid fag."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Hey, this fag is beating your ass."

Cartman growled. "I hate you."

"Right back at you." He grabbed his beer, taking a swig. "Another round?"

"I'm going to kill you this time!"

They played another round, using the same characters. The first round took a while to complete. Kyle barely won it, both of their health bars extremely low before Kyle finished Cartman off. The second round, Kyle killed Cartman in less than fifteen seconds.

"I fucking hate this fucking game!"

Kyle laughed. "Want to watch a movie or something? I'm getting bored. It's too easy to win this game."

"Shut up." Cartman got up, turning off the game system. "What movie?"

"Whatever."

Cartman randomly picked a movie, shoving it into the DVD player, still complaining under his breath about the game. He sat back down next to Kyle, crossing his arms over his chest. Kyle smiled, amused.

They watched the movie for a bit in silence. After about ten minutes, Kyle's mind started wandering.

"Hey… Has Clyde bothered you since Saturday? He hasn't talked to me in, like, a week."

"Yeah, he's a big pussy. Notice how quiet he is during class? I think he's afraid of you." Cartman snickered. "Who would be afraid of YOU?"

"Hey! I can be scary."

"No, not really. Whenever you try to be, it just turns out looking… cute."

"Cute?" Kyle's cheeks turned a bit pink. "It's not cute… guys aren't cute."

"It's cute. Just like a girl."

"Shut up, Fatass! I'm not like a girl!"

Cartman smirked. "You're totally like a girl, Kahl. And you hit like one too. OUCH that HURT you fucker!"

Kyle pulled his fist away from where he just slugged Cartman in the arm. He smiled, looking back at the TV. "You're a big baby."

"Am not!"

"Are to."

"Shit, that hurt, Kahl. Why the hell do you have to be so mean?"

Kyle shrugged. "Because it's you."

Cartman grumbled to himself, but fell silent after a few minutes. They watched the movie for a bit before Cartman commented, "I see you haven't been wearing your hat the last two days."

Kyle thought about it. "Yeah, I haven't."

"Suddenly trying to get laid?

"Yep. I'm hoping Clyde and I can hook up."

"Ew."

Kyle laughed. He bumped Cartman gently with his arm. Cartman grunted, bumping back.

"Why are Jews so perverted?"

"Me? You were the one assuming I want to get laid."

"I told you that your chances of getting laid go up without the hat. Now you're not wearing the hat. What am I to assume?"

Kyle thought about this. "True…"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're doing it for MY sake."

"Maybe I am."

Kyle glanced coyly over at Cartman, who suddenly looked a little red.

"Would you complain?" he asked, eying him carefully. _If he freaks out, I'll pretend I'm joking. If not…_

Cartman cleared his throat. "Do you always get this flirtatious with booze?"

Kyle laughed. "Maybe. Although I'm not really feeling it. But you never know."

He bumped Cartman again with his arm, but instead of pulling away, he stayed resting against him. Cartman stiffened, but then relaxed not a moment after. He pulled his arm out from between them, resting it awkwardly over Kyle's shoulders. Kyle couldn't help but smile.

"Is this what you and your boyfriend do?"

"He's not my boyfriend. And no, we don't do this." He glanced at Cartman to gauge his reaction.

"Do… you want to do it with him?"

"Absolutely not."

"So… just with me?"

Kyle bit his lip. "Yeah, just with you."

Both boys fell quiet. Cartman shifted his arm a bit, resting it more confidently over his shoulders. Kyle shifted closer to Cartman. They watched the rest of the movie in silence.


	21. Chapter 20

AUTHOR'S WARNING: It's the moment you've all been waiting for. This is an explicit chapter. Please, children, stay away. :D If you are uncomfortable with two boys getting it on, then I have no idea why you've been reading this story in the first place. You all have been forewarned. Please enjoy my sad attempts at trying to make this scene seem sexy.

-.-.-.-.-.

Hate – 20

"Hurry up, I'm tired!" Kyle called from underneath the covers.

"Don't get your panties in a twist." Cartman turned off the light, crawling into bed next to Kyle.

Kyle was nowhere near drunk, nor was he very tipsy. However, Kyle blamed the alcohol for giving him liquid courage. He was also feeling rather confident after their intimate moment on the couch. He scooted against Cartman, throwing his arm around him and letting his legs brush up against his.

"I'm cold," he explained.

Cartman grunted. "Of course you are. There's nothing to you." Cartman shifted, and somehow both boys ended up in each other's arms, wrapped up tightly against one another.

It was hard for Kyle to breathe, and he was pretty sure his face was on fire, but this moment was the happiest moment in his life. He felt protected, and warm, and comfortable; so many perfect things from this one moment. Cartman smelled amazing. He felt amazing. In fact, the whole situation itself was amazing.

He sighed softly against Cartman's neck, and the other boy shivered. Kyle caught his breath, licking his lips.

The air suddenly felt tense. Cartman's hand, which was resting on Kyle's back, hesitantly twitched, then started to rub gently. Kyle made a soft encouraging sound in the back of his throat, arching his back. He curled his fingers into the back of Cartman's shirt. For some reason, Kyle's heart was pounding erratically in his chest. Cartman's hand kept massaging slowly. There was complete silence. At first, it stayed up between his shoulder blades, but gradually it was making its way down Kyle's back. By the time Cartman made his way to his lower back, Kyle's head was reeling. _What the fuck is wrong with me? He's just rubbing my back. He's just rubbing my back. He's just rubbing my back._

Cartman's hand paused on Kyle's lower back for a bit before hesitantly sliding up to his waist. His hand slid forward, his fingers exploring this new area. Kyle squirmed a bit, the area slightly ticklish. Cartman's fingers froze for a moment before continuing their examination.

"Y-you're so small," he whispered, his voice hoarse.

Kyle said nothing, focusing all of his efforts on keeping his breathing as regular as possible. He shifted, moving their chests slightly apart.

Cartman took the invitation. He slid his hand further forward, teasing at Kyle's ribs. Kyle squirmed again, his breath hitching in his throat. Cartman slowly made his way up Kyle's chest, but then paused. Kyle held his breath, gripping onto Cartman tighter.

_Please._

Slowly, Cartman's thumb brushed over Kyle's shirt, rubbing it over his nipple. Kyle let out a quiet hiss, his body shivering. It was now much more difficult to control his breathing, and he panted softly against Cartman's neck as the other boy kept stroking his nipple.

Unexpectedly, Cartman's hand was roaming back down. Kyle's breath hitched. Cartman slid his hand underneath Kyle's shirt and back up, returning to his nipple. _Oh god. _Kyle shuddered, arching his back. The back of his throat made a strangled, desperate sound. Cartman pinched it gently, resulting in another needy groan from Kyle.

Cartman growled deep in his throat. The sound was predatory and masculine. Something in Kyle snapped. The sexual tension was too much. He needed Cartman, and he needed him now. He leaned forward and nipped at Cartman's throat aggressively, evoking another growl from Cartman. Cartman leaned down, nudging Kyle's face with his own, and suddenly they were kissing.

It felt hot, wet, desperate, and greedy. Cartman slid his tongue past Kyle's lips, eliciting a groan from the smaller boy. Cartman explored Kyle's mouth and Kyle's tongue teased Cartman's with his own. Kyle's fingers gently brushed the back of Cartman's neck, causing the other boy to shiver.

Suddenly, Cartman grabbed Kyle's shirt, and they pulled away from their kiss long enough for Cartman to tug it over Kyle's head. The shirt was thrown somewhere. Kyle started tugging at Cartman's shirt, but the other boy abruptly pulled away.

"No," he gasped hoarsely. Kyle blinked, looking at Cartman for the first time. His face was just as flushed as his own, his hair sticking up messily. He looked a bit panicked.

"Why not?" Kyle panted.

"I…" Kyle didn't think it was possible, but Cartman flushed even redder. Kyle read his expression immediately. He was embarrassed. "I… I'm not like you," he finished.

Kyle frowned, feeling the familiar anger rising in his chest. "What? Not gay?"

"No! No, that's not what I… I mean… I'm…n- not so…" Cartman struggled for the right word, his face betraying his uncertainty.

"Not so what?" Kyle urged, his anger gone as fast as it came.

"I'm… not as… bea-… good looking as you."

Kyle stared at him. "You… think I'm beautiful?"

Cartman blanched, looking away. "O-of course not, y-you stupid Jew, I…-"

Kyle cut him off. He reached up with his hand, cupping his cheek in his palm, and covered his reply with another kiss. Cartman hesitated before resting his hand on his hip. Kyle pulled away, looking back at Cartman.

It was hard for Kyle too. They didn't often speak of their feelings, especially if it related to the other. Even so, he plunged forward.

"I think you're hot Cartman," he stated, his stomach twisting nervously. Cartman stared at him, wide-eyed. "In English class last year, when you sat closer to the front? I stared at you. All the time. You're fucking hot. And since we've become closer? I can't stop thinking about you. I can't stop thinking about that dance… you grinding up against me. That was the hottest thing in the world. I… You're amazing. I want you. I want ALL of you. I want this."

Kyle didn't think it was possible to feel so embarrassed. He was completely going out on a limb. If Cartman rejected him, he was certain that he'd die from shame. Admitting something like that in the past would give Cartman leverage, and Cartman ALWAYS used leverage to get what he wanted. If he could exploit you in any way, he'd do it. But Kyle had faith that Cartman had changed. The last four weeks had proven to Kyle that both boys had changed drastically since then.

"You're… gay for me?"

Kyle stared at him, a twinge of anger flickering in his chest. "Goddamnit, Fatass, why do you have to be so fucking insensi-!" Now it was Cartman's time to shut Kyle up with his mouth. Kyle quieted, his eyes closing as they deepened their kiss. They wrapped their arms around each other before pulling away again.

"Kyle, I don't know how I feel about all this." Cartman's voice was unusually quiet. "I… I've never thought about another guy before, so… I don't know if I'm gay or not. Girls have always pissed me off, so… I guess it makes sense, but… I… I don't know." Kyle swallowed, nodding. "But… I do know this." Cartman took a deep breath, obviously gathering courage for what he was about to say. "I… I think you're hot too. Maybe that makes me gay, or something, but… that night? I almost lost it. You rubbing up against me like that, and then saying 'I didn't tell you to stop'? I almost lost my load right then. And I haven't been able to stop thinking about it."

"Me neither," Kyle muttered.

"But… I like spending time with you," he continued.

They locked eyes.

"I… don't want to fuck this up," Cartman admitted.

Kyle smiled. "We won't."

Cartman smirked. "But it's us."

Kyle chuckled. "I know. But somehow… this feels right. Can I take off your fucking shirt now?"

Cartman growled playfully, leaning forward and nipping his ear. He became serious almost immediately. "Don't laugh."

"There will be no reason to laugh, Cartman." He arched his hips forward, pressing his erection against Cartman's hip. Cartman gasped. "I'm hard for you," Kyle breathed against his ear. Cartman shivered violently. Kyle rolled them both so that Cartman was on his back and Kyle was perched on top. Kyle slid his hands down the front of Cartman's shirt slowly. "I need you." He pulled Cartman's shirt up, and lifted it over his head. He tossed it into the darkness. He pressed their chests together, snuggling his face back next to Cartman's ear. "I'm going to look at you now."

Cartman gulped loudly. "Where the fuck did you learn all of this Jew?"

Kyle licked his ear. "What do you think the internet is for?"

He pulled away, sitting up and looking down at Cartman. Kyle didn't know why Cartman was so ashamed of his body. He had thinned out drastically compared to how heavy he was when they were little. He was still a bit pudgy, but Kyle didn't find it unappealing. He lifted his eyes to look back at Cartman's face.

Kyle reached down and stroked Cartman's nipple with his thumb. Cartman shivered.

"Cartman?"

"W-what?"

"I… I really want to do something."

"What?"

Kyle kept staring at him. Cartman blinked, confused. Kyle didn't answer; instead, he leaned down and licked Cartman's nipple. Cartman gasped. Kyle nipped and sucked, sliding his hands down Cartman's stomach and to the waistband of his boxers. Slowly, he trailed small kisses down Cartman's chest, ribs, and stomach. Cartman's breathing became more labored.

"K-Kahl? W-w-what are you…"

Kyle slid his hands to either side of Cartman's hips, rubbing them down to Cartman's thighs. He gently parted Cartman's legs, letting his thumbs trail up his inner thighs. He nuzzled his nose against the front of Cartman's boxers, inhaling deeply.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Cartman hissed, his body tensing up.

Kyle made a soft guttural sound, feeling insanely aroused by Cartman's scent. He licked Cartman experimentally through his boxers, and Cartman twitched. He did it again, this time more confidently.

Kyle wasn't known to be overly patient, and this case was no exception. He shifted, reaching inside Cartman's boxers and pulling him out.

"Holy shit. You're fucking huge."

He could practically feel Cartman puff with pride. "Well, I suppose I never really thought about it," he said as casually as he could.

Kyle snorted. "Please."

"Please as in please may you suck my balls, Kahl?"

Kyle growled. "No, I wasn't asking." He licked the tip carefully, causing Cartman to tense up again. "You're really hard…" he exhaled. Kyle took the tip in his mouth, sucking slightly. _Well, this is the most awkward thing I've ever done._ He had often fantasized about giving someone a blow job, but he never imagined it would be this difficult. He had no clue how he would ever be able to fit Cartman in his mouth. Also, it was tricky to suck and slide at the same time. Even so, he was determined. He wrapped his hand around the base, and moved his hand in time with his mouth. That worked. Cartman groaned softly.

"Kyle… fuck…"

Kyle kept going, moving a bit faster and squeezing a bit harder. Cartman's fingers ran through Kyle's hair before gripping it firmly in his hand. Suddenly, Cartman jerked up. Kyle choked a bit, pulling slightly away to recover.

"Sorry," Cartman muttered.

Kyle didn't answer. He started up again, this time pushing Cartman's hip down with his other hand, keeping it there. He experimentally took more into his mouth, and luckily didn't choke again. After a few moments, Cartman made a strangled sound.

"K-Kyle, KyleKyleKyle Jew, I'm… I'm gonna…"

Kyle squeezed harder, sucking faster. Cartman gasped, grunted, and then came into Kyle's mouth. Although he had been warned, it surprised Kyle at first. However, he was able to recover quickly, swallowing Cartman's seed quickly and hungrily.

He licked Cartman clean after Cartman was finished. Cartman hissed at him, now hyper-sensitive. Kyle laid his cheek on Cartman's hip, his jaw slightly sore and his own arousal straining against his boxers. They lay in silence for a bit while Cartman recovered. It didn't take too long.

"Come here, Jew."

Kyle glanced up at Cartman, and then crawled up his body. Cartman sat up. Kyle perched in his lap, studying Cartman. There was an assertive look in his eye. Kyle swallowed. He knew that look.

"Take off your boxers."

Kyle shivered, barely containing his excitement. He licked his lips. He slowly slid his boxers off, his erection popping out. His cheeks flushed.

Cartman's eyes wandered down Kyle's body, then back up. Kyle shuddered, panting slightly. Cartman wrapped his arms around Kyle's waist, pulling him closer. He slid his hands down Kyle's back, and then over his ass.

Kyle gasped as Cartman gripped his ass roughly. He let it go, trailing his fingers softly over it, exploring it gently. Kyle clung onto Cartman, moaning into his neck. Cartman reached over to his nightstand, clumsily opening up the top drawer and fishing around. Kyle took the opportunity to nip and suck at Cartman's neck, pleased that Cartman was so distracted by it. Cartman cursed quietly, finally finding his bottle of lube. He let go of Kyle's ass, carefully pouring some into his right hand. He tossed the bottle on the bed next to them, wrapping his hand around Kyle. Kyle gasped. Cartman started to slowly stroke him up and down, his left hand returning to his ass.

"Oh god."

"Feel good?"

"Oh… oh god."

It was so much better than when he did it himself. Cartman's grip was firm as he quickened his pace. Kyle was surprised he held off so long. He gasped, tensing his entire body as he came into Cartman's hand.

"Look at me."

Kyle's eyes found Cartman's. It was hard to focus on them, though, since his eyelids slid half closed. Cartman had a strange look on his face, studying him hard as he came.

Kyle continued to pant slightly after he was finished, studying Cartman's face in the dark. They stared at each other for a long moment before leaning forward and sharing a soft kiss. It was intimate, soft, and sweet. Kyle's stomach churned pleasantly. They reluctantly parted, a small smile playing on both of their lips.

"I hate you Jew," Cartman muttered fondly.

Kyle grinned, kissing Cartman again on the lips. "I hate you too, Fatass."


	22. Conclusion

Hate – Conclusion

There are people in this world that would, upon first glance, have looked at them and called them enemies. But their close friends knew that they shared something special. Even before Kyle told Stan and Kenny that he and Cartman were seeing each other, both of their friends knew almost instantly. After Kyle told them, however, Kyle never brought it up again. Both boys barely acknowledged their relationship at all. Stan and Kenny were used to their unusual connection, and could see that, underneath the insults and bickering, they shared a deep bond.

Of course, if you talked to either of the boys in question, both would deny any semblance of friendship at all; in fact, they would describe their feelings toward the other as "hate."

-.-.-.-.-.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: THE END! I really hope that people didn't feel like I rushed the ending. I feel like I might have, especially with ending it so abruptly. The reason I did that, though, is because I don't necessarily enjoy focusing on the relationship once it's official. Haha, I'm weird. I like the chase the best. ;) Soooo… yeah. Also, I felt that, in a lot of ways, it fit with the flow of the story better. If you think otherwise, please let me know.

Thank you for all of you who have supported and encouraged me through the whole process. Your reviews and comments mean the world to me. I hope that you enjoyed the journey as much as I did, and I hope that I grow stronger as a writer so that I can provide you with even better stories in the future.

~Kymanlvr


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